1888 Dirtiest Martini Mix

This olive juice is fantastic. I have tried various other brands and this is top 2. Best comparison is Texas Hill brand. This juice has an oil slick that i am totally here for. Its clean, salty, briney and absolutley delicious for the dirty martini lover. The oil i think sets this apart in a great way, I have never seen anything else like it. Its very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Absolutley worth it!

So I bought this stuff 3 years ago and left it in my basement and never got around to using it... until this past week. Before moving on, remember to 'shake well before use' because oil does separate over time and when kept in my 55 degree basement. Maybe it was aged to perfection? I dont know, but my experience was out of this world. I used Kettle One and a dry Martini n Rossi vermouth, along with some garlic stuffed olives. Well upon mixing it up, 80% vodka, 10% vermouth, 10% 1888 (I'm no pro) what resulted was a cloudy beverage that tasted smooth (probably thanks to the oils), not overly salty, mellow (probably thanks to the 1888) and delightful. Even though Kettle One is a very smooth vodka, its still vodka and has a bite to it. When using the 1888 vs any other brine olive juice, I think its the real oil in there that takes away from the bite. Maybe it coats the tongue, maybe it neutralizes something, I dont know, but its just so smooth and mellow I cannot get over it. I have been drinking dirty martinis for years and this tastes nothing like those, but in a good way. That in itself though may be something to consider for someone buying this. So as of writing this review, I have a martini night scheduled with friends where I will gain some second opinions and post them here in the future.

Very large solid bits (like a scoby). Tastes funny - makes a chunky martini. Won’t dissolve. Not available to return. Just out $30 and will need toss the product. Very disappointing.

Best martini's on the planet are made with 1888. I've used 1888 for over 10 years and it never fails to deliver on the best olive flavor to make the dirtiest martini's you can imagine. Give it a try once and you'll be hooked.

Good product

I correct this. The second bottle was just as good as the first, once I switched from Wyborowa to Gin Mare. It is possible my bottle of Wyborowa was actually bad. A perfect pairing that doubles down on the savory notes from the gin. -Original Review- Hit or Miss Paired with Wyborowa at a 4:1 ratio as suggested by the bottle. My first bottle came out perfect, with little to none of the oiliness mentioned in other reviews. Very smooth and savory. My second bottle was very oily and left an astringent aftertaste, followed by extreme bitterness and a heat from a fairly smooth vodka punching through. I cannot recommend this product based on its inconsistency. I hope they do something to address.

Personally I like my dirties halfway between ‘DISNEYLAND ON ‘SHROOMS’ & ‘WEEKEND IN THAILAND’. 1888 hits that mark. After 15 years of experimentation my ride-or-die is 3:1 Bombay Sapphire Gin, sans vermouth (it just gets lost) stirred over ice 30 seconds. NOTE- When they say “hand-pressed olives & nothing else” they mean it. I’ve had bottles with some serious chunks/pulp. Unless you want your martini to look like a mini shipwreck DOUBLE STRAIN. It will still be cloudy AF but sheer dirty perfection. SALUD🍸

Top quality olive juice and exactly what I was looking for to make dirty martinis. Works well in both vodka and gin martinis. The bottle says to shake before use and there is a bit of oil in the mix that clung to the empty glass. I take that as a sign of quality. Note: I purchased this at $20 and as of this review it has since jumped to $30 a bottle so I’m deducting 2 stars for the 50% price jump.