You Need This Ice Cube Tray Hack In Your Life If You Love Dirty Martinis

Dirty martinis are in right now, and in a very big way. From topping your dirty martini with over-the-top garnishes to pouring in anchovy vermouth, there is no limit, it seems, to the creative ingredients people will pour into the iconic cocktail. However, there might be one dirty martini method that you may not have tried yet: olive brine ice cubes. This hack will not only give your drink a salty kick, but it will also keep your martini ice cold without diluting its flavor (and almost everyone knows that martinis are best served chilled to the bone). Plus, it's a great way to get creative with your ice cube tray, which might just be the most dynamic tool in your kitchen.

Now there are several ways to go about this hack, and you can customize it to fit your particular tastes. In the simplest possible approach, you can use leftover olive brine from the jar, pour it into an ice cube tray, and freeze. This will result in super briny, concentrated cubes that will melt into your glass as you sip, making your martini dirtier with every minute it sits on the counter. If you don't want such a concentrated dose of olive juice, you can mix the brine with water to dilute the flavor. Of course, this is just the start of this trick's chilly possibilities. 

This ice cube hack is great for dirty martini lovers, but what about the unsung deliciousness of a wet martini? Wet martini has a higher amount of vermouth than a dry one, though it may not have the elegant mystique of its bone dry counterpart. However, those who love the herbaceous flavor of the wine should really consider giving their ice cubes a bit of a vermouth infusion. You can add it in with your olive juice in the ice tray, or you can use vermouth alone (mixed with water to cut it for a less potent but just as flavorful addition). Making vermouth and olive juice cubes is the perfect trick for those who love a wet and dirty martini.

Of course, the ice cube enhancements don't have to stop there. Why not add in some more flavor? One easy way to enhance your cubes is by adding actual olives in with your brine mixture (you can pop one or multiple depending on your personal preference). For the most part, the olives add a visual flare, as biting into a full-sized ice cube to get to an olive is a sure fire way to get a tooth ache. However, if you want this briny, olive-filled cube to be bite-sized, try using a silicone, bubble-shaped ice cube tray. This will keep your cubes small, and the added olive will take up most of the space in the tray. Smaller bits of ice will melt faster than a large cube, and once they have mostly dissolved, you can get to snacking on the leftover olives.