The Dirty Martini adds a measure of olive brine to the classic gin-and-vermouth formula. The brine clouds the drink and makes it savoury — saline, olive-scented, and, for its devotees, the only Martini worth drinking.
A Martini that has stopped pretending to be delicate.
How Dirty?
'Dirty' is a dial, not a switch. A few drops of brine give a whisper of salinity; a full half-ounce gives a properly murky, briny drink. The amount is a matter of taste, which is exactly why a good bartender always asks.
Brine Quality Matters
The brine is an ingredient, not an afterthought. Cheap olive juice is harsh and oversalted; good brine — ideally from the same quality olives you will garnish with — tastes clean and bright. Some bars go so far as to make their own.
Vodka or Gin
The Dirty Martini is one of the few Martinis where vodka is genuinely defensible — the brine carries the flavour, and a neutral spirit lets it through cleanly. Gin still gives the more complex drink, its botanicals weaving through the salt.
The Martini Family
The classic — gin and dry vermouth, stirred ice-cold, finished with a lemon twist or an olive.
- 2 1/2 ozGin
- 1/2 ozDry vermouth
- 1 dashOrange bitters
A Martini garnished with a pickled onion — faintly savoury, faintly vegetal.
- 2 1/2 ozGin
- 1/2 ozDry vermouth
- 1 dashOrange bitters
James Bond's Martini — gin and vodka together, with Lillet for the vermouth.
- 3 ozGin
- 1 ozVodka
- 1/2 ozLillet Blanc