Briny, salty, and bursting with refreshing pickle flavor, this dill pickle martini is perfect for pickle lovers! It’s a fun twist on a regular dry martini that tastes much more delicious and surprisingly more sophisticated than you’d think!

If you’re obsessed with everything dill pickle flavored, you’ll love these pickle recipes! Try this Pickle Juice Marinated Chicken for the most tender, flavorful meat at your next barbecue. This Dill Pickle Potato Salad has a tangy pop thanks to little bites of chopped pickle and a hearty dose of pickle brine. So refreshing!

Two glasses of pickle juice martinis with a pickle garnish.

What is a Dill Pickle Martini?

This mouthwatering dill pickle martini recipe is a spin on a classic dirty martini. Made with vodka, you’ll recognize its clean, crisp flavor and bite. Vermouth adds subtle floral notes that make the drink immediately more interesting.

Like olive brine, dill pickle juice will add a salty, savory balance that takes this drink to the next level. This unique flavor combination is instantly refreshing, and when served ice cold, it will quench any thirst!

Dill Pickle Martini Ingredients

Check out the recipe card below for full instructions and ingredient amounts.

Vodka: Choose your favorite unflavored vodka as the base for this pickle juice martini. If you prefer gin, you can use that instead.
Dry vermouth: I like to use extra dry vermouth, a fortified wine, for a botanical flavor that takes the brininess of pickle juice to the next level in this simple cocktail recipe.
Dill pickle juice: You’ll need a small amount of juice from the pickle jar for this recipe. For a little heat, use the brine from spicy dill pickles instead.
Mini pickles: Spear a mini dill pickle, like a sour gherkin, for garnish. You can also add a pickle slice on the rim of your cocktail glass.

All of the ingredients to make pickle martini.

How to Make a Dill Pickle Martini

Fill: Fill a shaker with ice.
Pour: Pour in vodka, vermouth, and pickle juice.
Shake: Shake for 12-15 seconds
Serve: Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a pickle.

Step by step instructions to make dill pickle cocktail.

Tips for Success

Keep it cold. A cold cocktail shaker and chilled martini glass will subdue the vinegary flavor of the pickle juice and make it easy to drink.
Use fresh pickle juice. You don’t need fancy pickles for this pickle martini cocktail recipe, but I don’t recommend using the ancient jar of pickles from the back of your fridge.
Consider your pickle quality. There’s such a huge range in quality and ingredients for different pickle recipes. Choose your favorite kind of pickle and play around with different brands.

Recipe Variations

Garlic dill pickles: For an extra hit of savory flavor, use the brine from garlic dill pickles instead of regular dill.
Use spicy dill pickles: If you love spicy hot pickles, use that spicy brine for extra heat to go with the pucker.
Sweet pickle martini: Use bread and butter pickles and sweet vermouth for a whole different flavor profile.

Above view of pickle juice martini with a pickle garnish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do pickle martinis taste like?

Although people often think pickle cocktails taste like drinking straight from the pickle jar, that’s not quite true. There is three times as much vodka as pickle juice in this spin on the classic dirty martini. Combined with the extra dry white vermouth, the pickle flavor mellows out and takes on a new twist from the botanical flavor of the vermouth. It’s tangy, a little salty, and really refreshing. Yes, there’s a pickle flavor, but it’s a bit more nuanced and grown up than just chugging brine.

Is it common to drink cocktails with pickle juice?

You might be surprised to know that many people love drinking pickle juice with their cocktails! There are pickle shots, picklebacks (literally a shot of pickle juice after a shot of bourbon), this pickle cocktail, pickle-packed bloody mary recipes, and many more briny alcoholic beverages out there.

Can you make a martini with pickle juice?

Absolutely! If you have a favorite dry martini recipe you like, you can easily substitute the olive juice with pickle brine for a new flavor. I prefer to use this dill pickle vodka martini recipe to make sure I get the proportions just right, but it’s an easy substitution!

How to Store

How to refrigerate Dill Pickle Martini? If you have extra martini mix in your martini shaker, drain off any ice and store the leftover martini mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.

How to keep at room temperature? It’s best to keep this dill pickle martini as cold as possible. Use a cold shaker and chilled glasses to keep it ice cold.

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If you’ve tried this dill pickle juice martini recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!

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5 from 3 votes