What Makes A Martini Dirty?

There is no classic cocktail that embodies elegance like a martini. Served in its signature shallow cone glass, the cocktail is sleek, refined, and sharp. A classic martini cocktail recipe includes gin (or vodka, depending on your liquor preference), vermouth, and a lemon peel for garnish. While the bold flavors of these ingredients are enough for some martini enjoyers, some may opt for a savory step up — that's where the dirty martini order comes in handy. 

Despite the verbiage, ordering a martini dirty will not change the drink's sanitary status. A dirty martini includes the same ingredients as the classic version but with olive brine mixed in and skewered stuffed olives for garnish. The brine is the liquid that olives sit in when jarred. A simple mixture of water, vinegar, and salt, the olive flavors infuse into the brine overtime, making it a perfectly savory and salty martini supplement. With its slightly brown tint, adding olive brine to a martini gives it a dirty look.

It is almost as easy to make a dirty martini at home as it is to order one at a bar, and if you are entertaining, it will undoubtedly make your guests feel cared for. In other words, serving dirty martinis is the best way to offer the most while doing the least.

Each serving requires 2.5 ounces of gin or vodka, a ½ ounce of dry vermouth, and a ½ ounce of olive brine (or a little more, depending on how savory and salty you and your guests prefer it). After filling a shaker with ice, add all the liquids and shake for about 15 to 20 seconds until the liquids are mixed and chilled all the way through. Double strain the mixture until those pesky olive bits are filtered out, and serve in chilled martini glasses with some skewered olives for garnish. 

Dirty martinis have been part of the pub lingo for over a century. New York-based bartender John O'Connor is thought to have created the concoction in 1901 by muddling olives into his martinis. Since entering the mainstream alcohol scene, many variations of the dirty martini have descended from O'Connor's original recipe. Some include artisan olive juice, different types of gin, and olive brine ice cubes which gradually melt into to the drink and make the dirtiest cocktails. Other variations discard the olive flavor altogether. Pickle juice martinis, for instance, feature the brininess of olive juice but arguably pack even more of a tangy punch in flavor.Simply mix in the same amount of pickle juice as you would olive brine, garnish with miniature pickles, and a whole new martini is yours to enjoy.

When ordering a martini dirty at a bar, you will most likely receive the standard olive brine-infused drink. However, you can venture with one of these variations at home to concoct your ideal dirty martini.