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If you are serving cocktails, these compound butters are the perfect match. We are doing four gorgeous, happy-hour inspired flavors: a savory garlic crunch with sun-dried tomatoes, a briny dirty martini packed with blue cheese stuffed olives, a deeply nutty honey browned butter, and a goat cheese and fig butter pressed with edible flowers.
Table of Contents
What Is Compound Butter?
A standard compound butter is just softened butter blended with simple mix-ins and chilled until solid. While you usually see it packed with chopped herbs, this flight is built to pair with your cocktail menu. You are folding flavorful ingredients straight into your butter, mixing it well, and adding it to your cube mold. Once it is fully chilled, you are left with compound butters that are everything from savory and salty to sweet and nutty. They are the perfect companions for a toasted piece of bread and your favorite cocktail.
Prep the Ingredients
The Butter: Have all butter set out at room temperature 1-2 hours ahead, until fully softened and easy to mix, but not melted. If you’re in a hurry, but the butter into cubes to speed up the process.
Garlic Crunch and Tomato Butter: Peel and thinly slice the garlic, and finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes so everything is ready before the pan goes on the heat.
Dirty Martini Butter: Stuff the olives lightly with blue cheese, then slice them lengthwise into thin pieces so they layer cleanly in the butter. Chop the scallions and chives finely so they blend evenly without overpowering the mix. Zest the lemon directly over the bowl so the oils stay fresh and fragrant.
Honey Browned Butter: Browned butter typically takes about 5-7 minutes over medium heat. It’s ready when the butter turns a deep golden color and smells nutty, with amber milk solids at the bottom of the pan. Remove it from the heat as soon as it reaches that point, since it will continue browning briefly. Transfer the butter to a bowl set over an ice bath and whisk continuously, scraping the sides and bottom, until it thickens and turns opaque. After a few minutes, it will return to a creamy, spreadable consistency and be ready to mix with the honey.
Goat Cheese and Fig Butter: Set the goat cheese out so it’s room temperature, which makes it easier to layer. If piping, place your piping bag in a tall glass and so it’s easier to add the butter.
Buy-Ahead Products
Make sure you have silicone cube molds, edible pressed flowers, and a small gift box on hand if you plan to package it as a gift. These are things you can’t usually just pick up at the store, so plan ahead.
Cocktail Butter Pairings
Garlic Crunch and Tomato Butter: You cannot go wrong with red wine and savory garlic. A chilled tinto de verano is the perfect choice. The bubbly lemon soda and red wine base play perfectly alongside the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic.
Dirty Martini Butter: Obv we have to pair this with a milky dirty martini. Shaking a chunk of blue cheese right into the vodka and olive brine creates a gorgeous, cloudy texture that is a dream next to the buttery olives in the spread.
Goat Cheese and Fig Butter: Since the goat cheese is tangy and the fig is so jammy and sweet, you need something bright and bubbly. These pomegranate mimosas bring a hint of warm spice and the Prosecco is the perfect compliment for the cheese.
Honey Browned Butter: Play up those deep, toasted caramel notes by pairing this with a creamy carajillo affogato. The espresso and sweet vanilla-citrus liqueur turn this butter into an incredible dessert moment.
Cocktails
Milky Dirty Martini 🍸🫒
Cocktails
Carajillo Martini
Cocktails
Tinto de Verano Recipe
Cocktails
Pomegranate Mimosas
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. All of the butters can be made a day or two ahead and kept refrigerated.
Stored tightly wrapped or sealed, they will keep for about 4-5 days.
Silicone cube molds make shaping and releasing the butter much easier, especially for the layered versions. You can use plastic wrap inside of a small ramekins in a pinch, but they aren’t as easy to get the butter out.
Warm bread is the best place to start. Toasted baguette, sourdough, or anything with a little crunch.
Equipment
- Skillet
- Mixing bowls
- Ice bath
- pastry brush
- piping bag, or spoon
- Square Gift Box, optional
Ingredients
Garlic Crunch and Tomato Butter
- 5-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- olive oil, for frying
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room-temperature
- 1 pinch salt
Dirty Martini Butter
- 8 Castelvetrano olives, stuffed with blue cheese (about 2 tbsp)
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room-temperature
- 2 tbsp blue cheese
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 3 tbsp chives
- 1½ tsp vodka
- 1½ tsp olive brine
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1 pinch salt
Honey Browned Butter
- 10 oz unsalted butter, room-temperature
- 3 tbsp honey
- flaky salt, to taste
- 2 pieces honeycomb
Goat Cheese and Fig Butter
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room-temperature
- 1 pinch salt
- edible pressed flowers, for assembly
- 3 oz goat cheese
- ¼ cup fig jam
Instructions
Garlic Crunch and Tomato Butter
- Add the garlic slices to a cold skillet and cover with olive oil. Place over medium heat and cook until lightly golden, stirring often to prevent burning. Transfer to a cutting board, finely chop and set aside.5-6 garlic cloves, olive oil
- Remove the oil, and sauté the sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste over medium heat for 3 minutes. Let cool completely.¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, 3 tbsp tomato paste
- In a bowl, combine the softened butter, chopped garlic, tomato mixture, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated.8 oz unsalted butter, 1 pinch salt
- Fill two molds with the butter. Scrape the top edges clean and chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours before unmolding.
Dirty Martini Butter
- Stuff the olives with a small amount of blue cheese and slice thinly lengthwise.8 Castelvetrano olives
- In a bowl, combine the softened butter, blue cheese, scallions, 1 1/2 tbsp chives, vodka, olive brine, lemon zest, and salt. Mix until smooth.8 oz unsalted butter, 2 tbsp blue cheese, 3 scallions, 1 ½ tbsp chives., 1½ tsp vodka, 1½ tsp olive brine, 1 lemon, 1 pinch salt
- Brush a thin layer of butter inside two of the molds. Add a sprinkle of chives, about 3 slices of the stuffed olives and ⅓ of the butter. Repeat until 2 more times, making sure your last layer is the butter. Scrape the top edges clean and chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours before unmolding.1 ½ tbsp chives.
Honey Browned Butter
- Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat and cook until golden with a nutty aroma, stirring frequently.10 oz unsalted butter
- Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Place that bowl into an ice bath and whisk until the butter thickens. Mix in the honey and flaky salt to taste.3 tbsp honey, flaky salt
- Brush a thin layer of butter inside two of the molds. Place a piece of honeycomb into each mold and pipe the brown butter and honey butter around it, filling completely. Scrape the top edges clean and chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours before unmolding.2 pieces honeycomb
Goat Cheese and Fig Butter
- Mix salt to taste into the butter. Brush the sides of two cube molds lightly with butter and press edible flowers along the sides.8 oz unsalted butter, 1 pinch salt, edible pressed flowers
- Fill each halfway with butter. Using a spoon, push the butter up along the sides to create a small well in the center. Freeze for 10 minutes to set.
- Once set, pipe in dollops of goat cheese and fig jam into the well. Finish by topping with the rest of the butter. Scrape the top edges clean and chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours before unmolding.3 oz goat cheese, ¼ cup fig jam
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
You’re welcome!
I think all of those look amazing and are there serving suggestions for the different butters?
Thank you
You’re welcome Nan 🫶
My family loved this!
♥️