Dolly Parton’s “Dirt Road”Cocktail Is So Good, I’m Making It Every Weekend

I spent five years in Chicago, and it remains one of my all-time favorite cities. During my time there, I picked up on a few local obsessions: hot dogs, Italian beefs, deep-dish pizza, jibaritos, Malört, Pilsen tacos, and, arguably above all, giardiniera.

I still remember pulling up to a Portillo’s drive-thru and finding a container of giardiniera in my bag. It looked and smelled like pickled veggies, and I had no clue what to do with it. Luckily some native Chicagoans in my crew set me straight: “You can put that on everything.”

And I did. From pizza to Italian beefs to glizzies, giardiniera became a staple in my condiment game. So when I heard that Dolly Parton had created a martini recipe built around it, the Chicagoan in me was all ears.

On a recent trip back to Chicago, I stocked up on a few jars of giardiniera. The next time I was in the mood for a martini, I gave Parton’s “Dirt Road” recipe a spin from her cookbook, Good Lookin’ Cookin’.

Fill a lowball or rocks glass with ice, then pour the martini mixture over it. Garnish with a toothpick threaded with Spanish queen olives and a few giardiniera vegetables from the Mezzetta jar.

Full disclaimer: When I order martinis, I get them filthy. I love a heavy pour of olive brine to mask the vodka’s aftertaste. So sipping on Parton’s take, which leans on giardiniera juice as the star, hit the spot. The drink came together in seconds, and delivered bold, tangy, slightly spicy flavors.

The unsweetened tea in this drink pulls it all together by adding aromatic, tannic notes that play well with the giardiniera’s punch. It’s definitely a mouth-puckering cocktail, but I welcomed that because it offered something novel compared to the classic martini.

I made a few for friends during a hangout, and they couldn’t stop obsessing over the giardiniera garnish. It’s quirky and cute, sure, but it also delivers a spicy, tangy bite that works nicely while sipping this martini.

• Swap the pickled vegetables: Skip the giardiniera and grab a different jarred vegetable (think: jalapeños, pepperoncini, or banana peppers). Any brined vegetable works in this recipe.
• Switch up the booze: For a flavor twist, I recommend using mezcal instead of vodka to infuse a smoky flavor into this martini.
• Go all out with the olive garnish: Parton loves a classic Spanish queen olive, but you can also have fun with this topping by using ones stuffed with blue cheese, feta, or even Boursin.