I am very creative about planning my dinner party menus, whether I’m choosing a new cultural food theme or challenging myself with an extravagant showpiece dessert. However, one item remains a constant non-negotiable in my dinner spreads, and that’s olive oil. The olive oil I display next to charcuterie boards, salads, entrées, and even desserts is my way of conjuring a Martha Stewart mentality at dinnertime — showing, not telling, my guests the impressive pantry ingredients they’ll probably want to buy for themselves later on. And during my latest holiday dinner party, Brisca olive oil made a resounding statement.
The fairly new Spanish olive oil brand has approachable but complex tasting notes that easily please a crowd, and the bottle design is a fun, functional addition to a dinner spread. My latest buffet line included delicious platters of spicy dip, tangy salad, and hearty pasta, but the item that drew everyone’s attention was the mysterious bottle of Brisca at the very end of the lineup. Let’s talk about why this extra-virgin olive oil is so alluring and why it has become a staple in my pantry for the foreseeable future.
Brisca The Essentials, 2-Piece Set
Brisca
An important appeal of this olive oil is the bottle’s design. From the coating to the spout, every small design choice was clearly intentional. The glass bottles with wooden tops are fetching enough to keep out during meals, meaning no more fiddling with transferring oil to an olive oil dispenser. The opaque, neutral-colored paint coating is both stylish and functional, blocking UV that can damage olive oil. Even more exciting than the stylistic touches is the spout: a silicone, spill- and drip-free pouring tool I’ve never had to clean up after. And, you can reduce waste and save money by purchasing large tins that cleanly pour into the reusable bottles.
Brisca isn’t lacking in the flavor department, either. Picked and processed in Spain, the olives are cold-pressed at low temperatures just hours after harvest to extract as much flavor as possible and retain the olives’ polyphenol-rich nutrition. One of the two blends offered, made from Koroneiki and Arbosana olives, is a finishing oil with bright fruitiness and earthy undertones. Many commercial extra-virgin olive oil producers pair this blend with other olives, such as Arbequina, yielding an unwaveringly bold flavor profile. I much prefer the smokiness of Brisca’s oil, which tastes like a mellow, powdered black pepper. It pairs well with pasta sauces — both robust marinaras and creamy béchamels — and dipping bread into it with salt and herbs tastes like dipping into a seasoned clarified-butter sauce. Not to mention, pairing this finishing oil with sweeter condiments like quince paste and apricot jam unlocks a new level of bold pepperiness.
Food & Wine
The second blend is intended as a cooking oil, but I use it interchangeably with the finishing oil, depending on my flavor goals. The blend of Arbequina and Picual olives tastes smooth and unctuous like butter — and I love good butter. However, I also like keeping my saturated fat intake in check for health reasons, so I appreciate that this olive oil can replace butter in my pasta dishes, casseroles, and more when I want to dial back my butter consumption. I find this buttery oil blend is also perfect for sweets, including vanilla and chocolate ice creams and dark chocolate bars, each time bringing forth a luscious texture and warming notes. I can’t wait to try it in some baking applications, like for fudgy chocolate brownies or a chocolate-olive oil cake.
Even the brand itself is an intentional message. Operating from Portland, Oregon, founder Sandra Diez named this olive oil after brisca, a Spanish card game. Commonly played after lunch or dinner, brisca can be an integral part of sobremesa, the practice of lingering at the table after a meal; Brisca’s olive oil lived up to its origins and was a fantastic conversation starter among my guests.
If you know you prefer a robust olive oil with strong tasting notes, Brisca may not satisfy your palate like a bold Carapelli Unfiltered or our editors’ favorite full-bodied varieties, including the Graza blends and Frankies 457. For me, neither Brisca oil holds its own against the taste of pungent cheese like these other brands. However, if you’re looking for an extra-virgin olive oil with light pepperiness, balanced fruit notes, and an overall buttery flavor, I fully recommend both Brisca oils. Plus, with the holiday season at our doorsteps, subtly flavored, high-end olive oils like Brisca are exceptional gifts for home cooks. Try a bottle for yourself and gift another to friends or family, and it may become just as much a staple for you as it has for me.
More Olive Oils We’re Reaching For
Corto Truly 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Amazon
Olio Santo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Amazon
Flamingo Estate Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Flamingo Estate
Piro Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Courtesy of Olio Piro
Graza “The Duo” Drizzle and Sizzle Set
Graza
At the time of publishing, the price was $75.
Dining and Cooking