AN OLIVE COCKTAIL

HERE’S THE DEAL.

I’ve used olive oil for just about everything in my life. No literally. I put it on my hair, I use it on my skin, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not doing something with it in the kitchen. I’ve even been known to use it to oil cast iron skillets and wooden boards. In fact, that only place that’s never gotten some olive oil love is the bar. I mean, I’m the girl using olive oil and sugar to scrub my legs smooth, yet I’m not even thinking about mixing it with some boozel?! I know, I’m shocked, too.

But, as you can probably guess by the title of this post, we’ve recently turned over some new {olive} leaves in our cocktail making adventures and olive oil has officially joined us at the bar {cart}. Yesterday, we even shared an olive oil cocktail during our weekly live happy hour on Instagram. And, because it was just so delicious, I knew I had to share it here, too. Also because I needed somewhere to permanently document that we now are truly using olive oil in every aspect of our lives.

So, why put olive oil in a cocktail? Well, it’s delicous. It’s unique. It’s fun. It sounds all kind of fancy and impressive {even though it’s actually not}. And did I mention delicious? Also, hello! The health benefits. I mean, adding it to a cocktail practically makes your drink some golden elixir of health, or a fountain of youth {although this has not been confirmed in any studies outside of my kitchen}.

Oh yeah, and let’s be real, it’s also a great way to impress friends and family, you know, when we can all have guests over again. For now, impressing people via Zoom will have to do. “What are you drinking?” “A glass of cab. HBU?” “Oh you know just some olive oil and aquafaba concoction I whipped up, no biggie.”

Another thing, adding olive oil to a cocktail is a really nice way to make it a bit more of a savory experience and to balance out some of the sweetness that can occur when using mixers, juices or fruit. It also adds some light earthy notes to a drink, making it perfect for summer sipping, or to pair with light salads, chicken dishes, mild fish, grilled vegetables and Mediterranian eats. In fact, today’s cocktail, The Cypriot, is named so because it’s full of Mediterranian flavors. So you can sip it and pretend you’re somewhere warm and beautiful, like Cyprus or a Greek island, which is especially helpful these days when we can’t travel anywhere but our living rooms.

Another helpful thing about this quarantine cocktail? It uses pantry staples. Yes, even those cans of chickpeas lining your pantry shelves are getting some play time in this beverage. But don’t worry, this drink is also highly adaptable, so if you don’t have everything and you need to sub one thing, or leave another out, I promise this drink will still wow you. I mean, you’re using olive oil and chickpeas…IN A COCKTAIL. If that’s not the most impressive thing you’ll do during quarantine, then I don’t know what is.

P.S. You know that cheap olive oil you bought at Trader Joe’s? Yeah, now is not the time to use that. Please refrain from ever pouring low grade olive oil in a mixture and calling it a cocktail. It’s just liquid with crappy olive oil mixed in and it should be promptly poured anywhere but the bar {but preferably just down the drain}. This cocktail should be made with premium EVOO and only premium EVOO. Trust me, if you have anything less, just do yourself a favor and make any other cocktail. Literally any other one. You’ll thank me later.