The Dirty Martini is what happens when somebody decides a regular Martini is not interesting enough. Vodka or gin, dry vermouth, a generous pour of olive brine, three olives on a pick. The brine is what makes it dirty. The dirtier you want it, the more brine you add.

It got popular in the 1990s and early 2000s as part of the broader martini revival. Sex and the City put cosmopolitans on every brunch menu in America, and Dirty Martinis tagged along as the savoury alternative. People who would not touch a regular gin Martini suddenly loved a Dirty Martini because the olive brine softens the edges and gives it that umami pull.

Pinterest knows this drink. The Dirty Martini consistently ranks as one of the most-saved cocktail pins, partly because the photo is iconic (clear liquid, three green olives on a pick, condensation on the glass) and partly because it is one of those cocktails people order to feel sophisticated without being adventurous.

What you must not do is use cheap olive brine. The brine is half the drink. Brine from quality olives (Castelvetrano if you can find them, Spanish Manzanilla otherwise) tastes of the olive itself. Brine from a jar of pimento-stuffed party olives tastes of vinegar and vague salt and ruins the cocktail.

Dirty Martini

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Vodka or gin, dry vermouth, olive brine, three olives. The savoury cousin of the classic martini, salty and dry and weirdly addictive.

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Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Total Time 3 minutes mins

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x?

• ▢ 2.5 oz Vodka or gin
• ▢ 1/2 oz Dry vermouth
• ▢ 1/2 oz Olive brine from a jar of green olives
• ▢ 3 Green olives to garnish

Instructions

 

Stir or shake:

1. ▢
   Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the vodka (or gin), dry vermouth, and olive brine.
2. ▢
   Stir for 25-30 seconds, OR shake hard for 10 if you prefer a colder, slightly cloudy drink (Bond style).

Strain and garnish:

1. ▢
   Strain into a chilled martini glass or coupe.
2. ▢
   Drop three green olives on a cocktail pick into the drink.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 0.5gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.5gSodium: 0.5mgSugar: 0.2g

Notes

Brine quality matters. Use brine from quality olives (Castelvetrano, Spanish Manzanilla) — not the murky liquid from a jar of cheap pimento-stuffed olives. The drink tastes of whatever the brine tastes of.

Filthy Martini is the same drink with double the brine and sometimes blue cheese stuffed olives. Different drink, different post.

Vodka or gin? Bond drinks vodka. Most cocktail books prefer gin because the botanicals add complexity. Both are correct. Choose by what you like.

Servings: 1 cocktail

Calories: 150

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Tips That Actually Matter

• Brine from good olives only. The drink is only as good as the brine. Castelvetrano olives have the cleanest, most savoury brine.
• Adjust the dirt level. 1/2 oz brine is standard. 3/4 oz is properly filthy. 1/4 oz is barely soiled. Your call.
• Three olives, on a pick, into the drink. Not on the rim. Not on a cute little stick balanced across the glass. In the drink.