Some people leave a mark. Dolly Parton left a whole landscape: a theme park built out of love for her home hills, a library that’s mailed over 300,000,000 free books to children for decades, a catalog of songs that taught three generations how to hurt, laugh, and forgive all in three and a half minutes.
A Toast to Dolly
The Dirt Road Martini is Dolly’s own, a three ingredient cocktail she created with her sister Rachel Parton George for their cookbook, Good Lookin’ Cookin’. It swaps vermouth for unsweetened iced tea and olive brine for giardiniera juice, and the pickled vegetables double as the garnish. It’s humble where it needs to be and sharp where it counts. Felt like the right kind of toast.
How to Serve It for a Group
If you’re making these for a gathering in her honor, keep it simple: brew a big batch of tea the night before, set out a jar of giardiniera with a small ladle, and let people build their own. It’s a drink that rewards a little ceremony, a shared jar, a shared moment, a glass raised for someone who spent her whole life making sure nobody felt small.
FAQ
Can I make a Dirt Road Martini without alcohol? Yes. Replace the vodka with a non-alcoholic spirit that has some backbone. A peppery or juniper forward one holds up best against the brine and tea.
What’s a good substitute for giardiniera brine? If you don’t have giardiniera on hand, a mix of pepperoncini brine and a splash of pickle juice gets you close, though you’ll lose some of the vegetable complexity.
Here is the recipe
Dolly’s Dirt Road Martini
Ingredients
- 2 oz vodka or Gin
- 2 oz unsweetened iced tea (used instead of vermouth)
- ¼ oz giardiniera brine (used instead of olive juice)
- Garnish: Spanish Queen olives and pickled giardiniera vegetables, skewered
Instructions
- Combine the vodka, iced tea, and giardiniera brine in a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir until well chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice, then garnish with a skewer of olives and pickled giardiniera vegetables.