An easy savory cocktail, Dill Pickle Martini replaces the classic olives with cucumber pickles. This unexpected yet delightful pickle martini recipe creates a clear and crisp cocktail.

More martini recipes you’ll like are Pineapple Martini, Apple Cider Martini, and Peach Bellini Martini.

Dill pickle martini in martini glass with pickle garnish.

I’ll have to admit, when my husband first ordered a Dill Pickle Vodka Martini at a favorite restaurant of ours, I was skeptical. First off, he’s not really the ‘pickle type’. Secondly, he’s more a bourbon man than a martini man. Maybe he was having a James Bond moment, but he ordered it, drank it, and raved about it.

The key to a good martini cocktail is having the correct ratio of dill pickle juice to vodka. Too much dill pickle juice and it can taste vinegary, like a brine. Pickle juice is strong and vodka is powerful. You don’t want too much of either. At least, I don’t.

My cocktail limit is two, always. Two of this cocktail is probably all you want too. Otherwise, you’re lips may be puckered. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not a drink you can drink a lot of.

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Dill Pickle Martini

If you’re not a vodka fan, gin is absolutely fantastic in this pickle martini recipe.

Don’t discount the olfactory element of a pickle garnish that stimulates your sense of smell as well as your taste. I garnish my cocktail with a sandwich stacker cut of pickle skewered on a bamboo pick. Whole little dill pickles or even several classic hamburger dill pickles chips would make a lovely garnish as well. Basically, get creative and make it fun and festive.

A pickle martini tastes nothing like a classic martini, but it’s just as fabulous! It’s not dirty like the classic either, but a beautiful almost clear concoction.

Mr. Bartender, I’ll have that martini shaken, not stirred.