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This dirty martini whipped butter is a creamy, briny cloud-like dream dip. Mix in blue cheese, vodka and chopped buttery Castelvetrano olives, then top with stuffed blue cheese olives. Serve it with toasted baguette slices. This is guaranteed to become your next cocktail hour appetizer obsession.
Table of Contents
Tips for the Creamiest Whipped Butter
For more full information on the creamy texture, equipment, other tips, check out my classic whipped butter recipe.
Quality Butter: This isn’t just about the taste, although it is really good. This is about the fat content. You want at least 82% butterfat. Higher fat content traps air bubbles more effectively. That gives you an airier, creamier whipped butter. European and Irish butters have higher fat, so look for those.
Room-Temperature Butter and Cold Cream: One of the most important things you can do is using probably thawed room-temperature butter. Melted butter won’t hold the air. A whole stick takes at least 30 minutes, but 2 hours is best. But if you’re in a hurry, here are the do’s and don’ts of how to speed things up:
- Cube the Butter: Cut the butter into small cubes. This lowers the softening time to about 15 minutes and it doesn’t affect the texture outcome.
- Don’t Use a Microwave: The microwave melts the butterfat. It’s too easy to overheat it and not worth the extra few minutes that it buys you rather than just cutting it. The same goes for putting it near the oven or in direct heat.
Whip It Good: You have two options for whipping equipment. You can use a stand mixer. This is great for bigger batches. If you are using this, you want to use a whisk attachment. It’s better for adding air, helping with that airy texture. For smaller batches, a hand mixer works great. Start your mixer on low speed for a few minutes until it’s fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and start whipping on high, moving your mixer in slow, steady circles. Whip for 3 to 5 more minutes until it becomes light, creamy, and fluffy. Then add your dirty martini ingredients and slowly mix until those are combined.
Prep the Ingredients
Let your butter come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes, but 2 hours is best.
Mince 10 Castelvetrano olives and then stuff more with blue cheese until your heart says you’ve made enough. You can serve some on the side as well.
Wash and zest the lemon.
Chop the scallion and chives. Don’t forget to set some of the chives aside for the topping.
Set out your blue cheese, vodka, olive brine, white pepper, onion powder, and kosher salt. Leave the heavy cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. You want this cold.
More Flavored Whipped Butter Recipes
Caesar Whipped Butter: This recipe first browns the butter and then it whips it with capers, garlic, and anchovies.
Crispy Shallots Whipped Butter: The butter is infused with shallot oil, and topped with honey, flaky salt, crispy fried shallots and garlic.
Whipped Butter Radish Tower: Radishes and butter are a classic, but this makes it pretty.
Roasted Garlic Parmesan Whipped Butter: Roasted garlic squeezed into the butter with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and then whipped till creamy.
Ingredient Swaps
Blue cheese: Gorgonzola dolce is a dream if you want something even creamier and slightly sweeter. Goat cheese will bring a tangy, earthy energy that totally changes the vibe.
Castelvetrano olives: If you cannot find these buttery gems at your local market, Cerignola olives have that same meaty texture.
Vodka: You can swap this for a splash of gin to lean into those botanical, herbal notes, or just skip it entirely if you are not feeling the boozy element.
White pepper: If you do not have white pepper on hand, cracked black pepper is fine, though it will leave dark specks in your pale yellow spread.
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The Perfect Pairings
Milky Dirty Martini: This is the liquid version of that salty, silky cloud. It has that exact same sophisticated brine energy and feels like the only correct way to kick off a night.
Peppercorn Sauce Steak: You need this warm, peppery sauce to balance out all the cold butter and olives. It is high-key indulgent and hits that rich, savory note that makes a dinner feel like an actual event.
Fresh Arugula Salad: You always need something fresh to balance everything out, and this hits that mark. The fennel and citrus bring that sharp, fresh contrast.
Burnt Basque Cheesecake: If you are as obsessed with aerated textures as I am, this scorched cheesecake is the move. It shares that light, whipped center but ends things on a caramelized, sweet note.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this is the ultimate prep-friendly hack for a party. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Just remember that it turns into a solid block when cold, so you must let it sit on the counter for at least thirty minutes to get that cloud-like texture back before you try to plate it.
No. A food processor has blades that move too fast and generate too much heat, which melts the fat instead of aerating it. You need to use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer if you want the fluffy texture.
You can but you will have no control over how much salt is added. This whipped butter is a salty, briny variation already. It’s really best to taste and add what is needed instead of starting out with something that is going to make it too salty right from the beginning.
They’re cute right!? I found the silver serving bowl at Zara and the olive cocktail picks I bought on Amazon.
Equipment
- hand mixer, or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Mixing bowl
- measuring spoons
- Serving bowl
- olive cocktail picks, optional
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room-temperature
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 tbsp vodka
- 2 tbsp olive brine
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- kosher salt, to taste
- 10 Castelvetrano olives, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 tbsp chives, chopped
For Topping
- whole castelvetrano olives, pitted, to taste
- blue cheese, crumbled, for stuffing
- chives, chopped
- olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Whip the Butter: Add butter, heavy cream, crumbled blue cheese, lemon zest, vodka, olive brine, white pepper, and onion powder to a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip on low for 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides, and then turn the speed to high for 4-5 more minutes until light and fluffy.8 oz unsalted butter, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 2 tbsp blue cheese, 1 lemon, 1/2 tbsp vodka, 2 tbsp olive brine, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp onion powder, kosher salt
- Add More Flavor: Add minced olives, scallions, and chives to the butter and whip on low until just combined.10 Castelvetrano olives, 2 scallions, 2 tbsp chives
- Stuff the Olives: Stuff the whole olives with blue cheese crumbles and skewer them.whole castelvetrano olives, blue cheese
- Assemble and Serve: Spoon the whipped butter into a serving bowl to create a tower. Top the butter with chives, a drizzle of olive oil, and the skewered olives. Enjoy spread across crispy bread.chives, olive oil
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
