Dirty Martini Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for a dirty martini? ›

Like a classic martini, an extra dirty martini is a pared-down drink, with just three ingredients: gin or vodka, vermouth, and olive brine.

The term 'dirty' means that olive brine, usually from a jar of co*cktail olives, has been added to the drink. An olive garnish is typically assumed, too. Most bars add equal parts vermouth and brine, though you can specify 'extra dirty' or 'filthy' if you prefer more brine.

A classic dirty martini can be made, depending on drinker's preference, with all gin or all vodka, but using half gin, half vodka — with some vermouth and brine — results in a drink that leans a bit fresher and cleaner. (Should you prefer to stick with one spirit, use 2½ ounces of either gin or vodka in this recipe.)

Though many dirty martini recipes call for a splash, Carlson-Tye believes there is no need. She mixed me one with vermouth and one without, and I agree. Vermouth, in its herbal sourness, works against the olive juice.

There is a fine line when it comes to brine, and this drink can go from delightful to disgusting really quickly. Customizable with gin or vodka, a touch of vermouth and defiled with olive juice, if you like your martini dirty, you're hip, swanky, stylish…

An unspoken superstition deems an even number of olives bad luck. Like avoiding a black cat in an alleyway, most seasoned bartenders will only serve Martinis with one or three olives (never two or four). The origins of this superstition remain a mystery, but are adamantly followed.

Bone Dry. Almost no vermouth is used. “Bone dry” is a common way to specify just a whisper of vermouth. If you are in a bar, ordering an extra dry Martini amounts to the same thing.

A martini is gender neutral. It is neither a 'girly” drink, nor men-only.

Sweet Vermouth was initially used as a co*cktail ingredient to lower the overall alcohol content of a co*cktail with a strong spirit as their base, but Vermouth also adds a mellow herbal flavour and aroma to your drink. Vermouth is actually a type of fortified wine flavoured with various botanicals.

Though it can be made with either technique, many bartenders prefer to shake this co*cktail to allow for the ingredients to better integrate, and for the denser olive brine to mix more thoroughly with the less-dense vodka or gin.

What can I use instead of dry vermouth in a dirty martini? ›

“Dry Sherry is about as close as you can get [to vermouth],” Bezuidenhout says. Other fortified wines like Lillet blanc, Cocchi Americano, and even a white Port work as well.

The difference between a neat and a dirty martini is the addition of olive brine in a dirty martini. A "neat" martini contains only gin or vodka and vermouth, garnished with a twist or an olive, while a "dirty" martini includes olive brine, giving it a salty and briny flavour.

Whether it's dry vermouth (maybe you're making a Fifty-Fifty Martini), sweet red vermouth (for negronis), or the in-between bianco (for a new twist on a negroni), it needs to go in the fridge—where it won't last longer than a few months. (Montagano notes that the sweeter reds will last a little longer, but not much.)

Begin with a London dry-style gin. From there, add a little dry vermouth. The ratio is negotiable, but common formulas for a Dry Martini typically fall in the range of four-to-eight parts gin to one part vermouth.

The batch involves blitzing equal parts pitted Castelvetrano olives and water in a blender before adding still more water and a 12:1 salt brine solution, resulting in a salty, pulpy mix that then rests in the refrigerator for a week.

Best Vodka for a Dirty Martini: Grey Goose Vodka

"The minerality of Grey Goose lends itself perfectly to a dirty martini, which I make using a high-quality brine, like Dirty Sue, which was created by a bartender and formulated specifically for use in co*cktails.”

Dirty Sue was featured in Liquor.com as the best olive juice for Dirty GIN Martinis. In an article featuring all the best mixers with gin, Dirty Sue was named the best olive juice for dirty, gin martinis. Dirty Sue is thrice filtered brine made from the best olives grown around the world.