The News
Dirty Sue, a bartender-created brand of premium cocktail brines and garnishes, announced that its products will be available on select shelves at Ralphs Grocery Company stores throughout California beginning at the end of April. The products include Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice and Dirty Sue Blue Cheese Olives. The brand was founded in 2004 by Eric “ET” Tecosky after he noticed a problem with olive juice used in dirty martinis.
Dirty Sue’s new olive‑juice line will hit select Ralphs stores across California by the end of April 2026—a first‑time retail debut for a brand that has long lived in bartending rooms rather than grocery aisles.
The fact that only 12 % of California grocers carry specialty cocktail brines highlights a sparse competitive field in retail. The result is a clearer market for premium offerings: fewer substitutes on the shelf and a higher likelihood that patrons will seek out the product when it appears on menus or as a garnish.
Dirty Sue’s pricing—about $30.67 per liter based on its $23 750‑mL bottle—places it in the luxury mixer bracket, and managers who can price the drink above generic brine are likely to see stronger sales velocity for their cocktail programs.
For distributors, the selective rollout means initial shelf exposure is limited but still meaningful. If the product garners strong pull at those Ralphs locations, it indicates a viable channel that can be replicated in other grocery chains or expanded to off‑premise accounts. The premium price point suggests potentially higher margins than standard mixer lines; while actual wholesale figures are not disclosed yet, the retail figure gives distributors a benchmark for negotiating terms and setting expectations with their own clients.
Consumers, meanwhile, are drawn by Dirty Sue’s bartender‑origin story and the promise of “cleaner” cocktails. The $30.67‑per-liter price positions it as an indulgence rather than a commodity; those who value authenticity in mixology will see it as worth the premium.
Dirty Sue’s entry into Ralphs’ California stores signals the brand's move to capture the sparse specialty‑brine market with a high‑margin, story‑rich product that should resonate across bar menus, distributor portfolios, and discerning consumers alike.
Original Press Release
SKUs include Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice and Dirty Sue Blue Cheese Olives
LOS ANGELES, CA (MAY 6, 2026) - Dirty Sue, the original bartender-built brand of premium cocktail brines and garnishes and the people’s choice #1 mixer in America, today announces that its products will be available on select shelves at Ralphs Grocery Company stores throughout California beginning at the end of April.
Dirty Sue changed how bars and restaurants think about the olive brine they use to make dirty martinis. In the old days, “pack brine” - the juice in the olive jar - was used as an ingredient in dirty martinis. This low-quality brine was never meant to be a cocktail ingredient. Rather, it was just there to keep jarred olives fresh.
Then, in 2004, along came Dirty Sue.
The brand began behind the bar at famed Jones Hollywood - just two blocks south of the famed “Rock N’ Roll Ralphs” on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles - where founder Eric “ET” Tecosky worked as the restaurant’s bar manager. Having made hundreds of dirty martinis each month, he repeatedly ran out of olive juice well before running out of olives, leaving the fruit to dry out in the jar. This cost the restaurant money through dried-out, rotten olives, and cost ET money every time he had to leave his post behind the bar to run to storage for a new jar of olives. “Why doesn’t anyone bottle this stuff?” he thought.
A brand was born. Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice is blended specifically for use in cocktails, using juice from only the highest-quality olives.
Said Tecosky, “For years, I shopped at Ralphs when I lived in California. So the idea of Dirty Sue being on those shelves is a pretty cool full-circle moment. I can’t wait to see it in person — and I will also look forward to paying retail for a bottle of Dirty Sue when I do!”
Initially, select Ralphs locations will carry Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice and/or Dirty Sue Blue Cheese Olives. Ralphs is proud to support local products and entrepreneurs, and to collaborate with talented mixologists to bring high-quality, bar-worthy offerings to customers - making it easy to create memorable cocktail moments at home.
Dirty Sue products are now available at thousands of on- and off-premise locations across the United States.
Sources consulted (web research):
- Dirty Sue Picks Up Ralphs Bartendercreated Cocktail Brines And Garnis…
- Dirty Sue
- Dirty Sue Olive Juice
- 18461973 Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice 750 Ml
- The Original Dirty Sue Olive Juice 375ml
Source: BevNET