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Garnished with olives on picks and served in a chilled martini glass, a dirty martini is a classic cocktail made with gin, vermouth, and olive brine to add a subtle, salty flavor.
How to Make a Dirty Martini
A classic dirty martini is made with gin, dry vermouth, and olive brine. It has a slightly salty flavor and cloudy appearance, hence the word “dirty” in the name.
For those who don’t like gin, the substitute of choice is vodka. This is considered by many to be a more modern take on the martini. While the gin lends the drink a floral flavor, vodka produces a smoother taste.
There are several ways to prepare a dirty martini:
- The classic version combines the gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and olive brine in a cocktail shaker with ice, straining the mix into a chilled martini glass and garnishing the finished cocktail with one or more olives on picks.
- A second variation omits the olive brine and is instead made by muddling olives in the bottom of a mixing glass, then adding the spirits, shaking with ice, and straining into a chilled glass to serve with olives for garnish.
- A “dirtier” martini uses olive brine and the pickling liquid from cocktail onions. As expected, both olives and onions are used as a garnish.
Dirty Martini
Garnished with olives on picks and served in a chilled martini glass, a dirty martini is a classic cocktail made with gin, vermouth, and olive brine to add a subtle, salty flavor.
Ingredients
- 3-1/2 ounces gin, or vodka
- 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
- 1/2 ounce olive brine
- Large pimento-stuffed olives
Instructions
- Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the gin, vermouth, and olive brine. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.
Notes
Here are two popular variations on a classic dirty martini:
Muddled Variation:
Muddle 2 olives in the bottom of a mixing glass. Fill with ice, add the vermouth and gin (omit the olive brine), shake, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.“Dirtier” Variation:
Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the gin, vermouth, olive brine, and 1/2 ounce of the pickling brine from a jar of cocktail onions. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish a pick of alternating olives and cocktail onions.Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 222mg, Potassium: 7mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 56IU, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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