Dirty Martini, Yeah Baby, Yeah!

Being solidly in the middle of Generation X, I have a hard time ordering a Dirty Martini without imitating Austin Powers.  Not that he actually ordered one in the movies that I can remember, it just sounds like something he would do, followed by calling the bartender a filthy minx or something like that, but I digress.  The dirty martini is made with gin and has a long history as a classic cocktail.  The addition of olive brine to the classic martini provides a distinctive flavor profile, combining the martini with the garnish.

First, let’s discuss olive brine.  You can use the brine from a jar of olives, or you can buy a bottle of olive brine alone.  Which you choose, depends on a few things.  First, if you are purchasing olives that are stuffed, keep in mind the brine will take on the flavor of everything in the jar.  This may be a plus or a minus, depending on your preferences.  Second, if you plan to make more than a few dirty martinis, you don’t want to deplete too much brine from your jar, or your olives may dry out.  Buying the brine alone is a bit of a commitment to the dirty martini, but it isn’t that expensive and if it’s a household favorite, worth it.

Next, let’s discuss how much brine to use.  My preference is to take a less-is-more approach.  I really enjoy a dirty martini, but I don’t want my drink to taste like a salt lick.  For me, a good dirty martini has that added flavor dimension, but doesn’t taste like an olive.  My recipe calls for ¼ oz. of brine, which for my taste, creates that perfect balance.  If you want a bit more punch, I suggest you take it up to ½ oz.

Finally, getting to the alcohol, I suggest you stick to the classics:  a simple London dry gin and dry vermouth.  Way back in the day, martinis would often have equal parts vermouth and gin.  Along the way the vermouth got pushed aside, unfortunately.  So much so that at times it feels like some martinis are made with a couple eye-drops of vermouth.  There are so many great vermouth on store shelves today, and it can add great depth of flavor to cocktails, as well as stand-alone on the rocks.  Don’t downplay this ingredient.  Get a nice vermouth and don’t be stingy when adding it to martinis.  My recipe calls for ½ oz. but experiment here as well.  You would be well within reason taking it up to 1 oz.  As for the gin, as I mentioned, I suggest you play this right down the middle with a London dry.  There are so many great craft gins on the market today, but for a classic drink, you need to stick with the classic flavor profiles, and you don’t want a gin that emphasizes other more flowery flavors.  To finish, shake with a cocktail shaker and served with a couple olives as garnish, of course.  Enjoy this timeless classic!