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Kindred Spirits & Blue Cheese Mingle for an Extraordinary 801 Special Martini

Posted on May 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

A recent outing to neighborhood restaurant and bar, 801 Chophouse, gleaned an interesting martini combination I would otherwise have never sampled. The 801 Special consists of Ketel One Vodka, Bombay Sapphire Gin served with house stuffed Blue Cheese olives. Ordinarily I have an aversion to blue cheese. There is just something about the weave of blue cheese mold through food along with the pungent flavor that sort of twists and turns my stomach before the flavor leaves my tongue. Dirty martinis aren’t necessarily my favorite either. The salty overtones bury too much of the martini for my palate preference as well. Simply put, I love to taste the particular subtleties of the spirit whether it is vodka or gin. The martini description of this particular house special sounded rather encouraging; No vermouth, no olive juice and the olives were stuffed with a mix of blue cheese, fresh garlic and Tabasco. Curiosity won out.

801 Special – 801 Chophouse, Omaha NE

1-1/2 ounce Ketel One Vodka

1-1/2 ounce Bombay Sapphire Gin

Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives*

Combine vodka and gin in mixing tin with ice. Shake or stir according to preference (801 Chophouse shakes vigorously). Garnish with two skewered Blue Cheese olives. In my opinion this cocktail needs at minimum three olives, but would do exceedingly well to have four to make it truly ‘special’.

Though I did not get the exact recipe for the hand-stuffed Blue Cheese Olives, I played with a recipe loosely based upon one found on Food Network by Emeril Lagasse.

Hand Stuffed Blue Cheese Olives – adapted by Cheri Loughlin

Original recipe from 801 Chophouse, Omaha NE

24 to 30 Large Green Olives – pitted

1/4 cup Blue Cheese

3 Tablespoons Garlic Paste

3 Tablespoons Tabasco Sauce

Drain green olives, reserving the brine for later use. Combine ingredients in food processor or mash mixture together well by hand. Place completely blended mixture in pastry bag. Begin stuffing each olive individually, being careful to keep outside of olives free of blue cheese residue. Return olives to jar or plastic container in single layer if possible. Pour brine in layer over olives and store in refrigerator until ready for use.

Tasting Note:The 801 Special definitely left me deliciously surprised. For those who believe gin is not of their particular flavor variety, perhaps try this combination. The vodka washes over the gin, softening it a bit in a way vermouth does not. The two spirits dance agreeably in the glass; kindred spirits if you will. The hand stuffed Blue Cheese Olives become the meal topper. It is a must that these olives marinate in the martini for a moment or two before the first taste. A lingering bite here and there between sips is the exceptional highlight of the 801 Special.

Cheri Loughlin is a leading cocktail and photography resource for beverage companies, event planners, businesses and individuals. High resolution cocktail and beverage stock photography images are available in downloadable digital format in the newly redesigned Stock Photography Gallery at www.cheriloughlin.com.

Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon – str8upcocktails @ gmail.com – ©2012 Cheri Loughlin-The Intoxicologist, All Rights Reserved. All opinions, reviews and spirits’ coverage are the personal opinion and decision of Cheri Loughlin.

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Posted in Classic Cocktails

Tagged 801 Chophouse, Blue Cheese Olives, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Classic Cocktail, Gin, Ketel One Vodka, Martini, Vodka

B&B Liqueur: Timeless Classic

Posted on January 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

This creation by Gary Regan began as a charming cocktail with the wispy sound of summer; Botanical Breeze. Gary paired B&B with one of my favorites, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur. Usually my preference is a cocktail shaken over ice and then strained into a chilled martini glass. This allows the cooled spirits to retain their true flavors without becoming watered down through the eventual melting of ice as the cocktail sits. As much as I hesitate to differ with Gary Regan’s fabulous creation, the Botanical Breeze as originally called for turned out too intensely flavored for my palate. However, the essence of the entire drink was superb and wanted for nothing to balance the flavor. The only option I could think of was the addition of a few dollops of ice. Nothing more, nothing less was needed. Simple as that! The Botanical Breeze happened to be so fabulous I helped myself to two.

Botanical Breeze

1-1/2 measure Bombay Sapphire Gin

1/2 measure B&B Liqueur

1/2 measure St- Germain Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 measure Fresh Lime Juice

Kiwi Slice Garnish

Combine liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled champagne coupe. Float peeled and sliced kiwi slice as garnish. (You’ll notice no garnish of kiwi in my photo. It was Christmas Day and sometimes The Intoxicologist fails to plan ahead with proper supplies of fresh fruit from the grocer. My apologies Gary.)

The shortened story of B&B Liqueur:Midtown Manhattan. Early 30’s. Intense Jazz. Hip Cliques. Supreme Cocktails. Mingling of the Finest; Benedictine and French Brandy creating a monumental classic – B&B Liqueur. The rest is history!