Classic Dirty Martini Recipes

THE DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a mixing glass filled with ice, pour the gin, dry vermouth, and olive juice.
• Stir well for at least 30 seconds.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass .
• Garnish with 1 or 3 olives. Serve and enjoy. Many people prefer to use the brine that is in a jar of olives for dirty martinis. And why not? If you have olives, you have salty juice right there. It is a very convenient and cheap addition to the drink. Plus, with all the gourmet olives available-stuffed with everything from the standard pimento to blue cheese or jalapeño-each brine brings a slightly different taste to the martini. There are also many olive juices available that are designed specifically for the dirty martini. They can vary quite a bit in taste, though they're interesting to explore. It may take some time to discover which bottled olive juice you like best, so keep trying. Dirty Sue is a favorite for many dirty martini devotees. You might also try the cocktail-worthy olive juices from Boscoli, Fee Brothers, Filthy, Fragata, or Stirrings.
• Place the olives in a glass jar with a tight-sealing lid. Recycled olive jars are a natural choice, and Mason jars work great as well.
• Gently press the olives with the back of a wooden spoon firmly enough to release their juice. Try not to smash them as if you're muddling fruit for a cocktail.
• In a bowl, combine the other ingredients and mix well.
• Pour the liquid over the olives until they are completely covered. Leave a little room for air at the top of the jar.
• Seal the jar and shake it vigorously.
• Refrigerate for at least one day (longer is better) and shake before using the juice. If your juice gets a little low for the olives left in the jar, add more vermouth and give the mix a good shake.

CLASSIC DRY MARTINI

Steps:

• In mixing glass or cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine gin and vermouth. Stir well, about 30 seconds, then strain into martini glass. Garnish with olive or lemon twist and serve.

DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• In a mixing glass, combine vodka, dry vermouth, brine and olives. Pour into a glass over ice. Either drink on the rocks, or strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• Fill a shaker with ice. Add 1 ounce olive juice and 2 ounces each gin and dry vermouth. Shake well, then strain into a martini glass. Add a dash of bitters and garnish with an olive.

THE DIRTIEST MARTINI

Steps:

• Shake the liquid ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with the olive skewer and basil leaf. *To infuse the vodka, place 10 basil leaves in a 750-ml bottle of organic vodka (Rain vodka, distilled in Kentucky from organic corn, is a good choice) for two hours. Be careful not to overinfuse. You want a mild flavor and fragrance, not basil cologne.

DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• Shake or stir vodka (or gin) and olive brine with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.

EXTRA-DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, olive brine, and vermouth; shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with olives.

DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• Put two martini glasses in the fridge to chill. Thread the olives onto two cocktail sticks and set aside.
• Fill a jug or mixing glass with the ice, then pour in the gin, vermouth and olive brine. Stir until the outside of the jug feels cold. Taste to make sure that it's icy cold and that you're happy with the dilution.
• Strain the mix into the chilled glasses and garnish with the olive skewers.