how to make a dirty martini..use either vodka or gin

Posted on by barkeep

The Dirty Martini is a variation of the classic martini. The extra ingredient which makes it dirty is the Olive Juice (it is actually nothing but brine) that basically adds a little bit of saltiness and a unique olive flavour to the martini.

Depending on where and how you get the olive juice, the saltiness of the juice can vary. Taste a bit of the olive juice to get a feel for the saltiness so that you can decide on how much juice you can or want to add. As with a classic martini, the dirty martini can made either with Gin or Vodka.

Ingredients:

  • 3 shots of Vodka or Gin
  • 1/2 shot of Vermouth
  • 3/4 shot of the Olive Juice/Brine
  • 3 Olives

Preparation:

  1. Put 3 or 4 cubes of ice cubes into a martini shaker
  2. Pour 3 shots of Vodka or Gin into the shaker
  3. Add 3/4 of a shot of Olive Juice
  4. Add 1/2 a shot of Vermouth
  5. Shake the ingredients about 5 to 10 times ( You may also stir with a long spoon instead of shaking depending on your taste)
  6. Strain into a chilled martini glass
  7. Garnish with olives
Vodka and Vermouth Bottle

Variations:

Stripper Dirty Martini: Depending on taste you may add extra olive juice to make it an extra dirty and extra salty. Instead of the 3/4 shot, add a full shot of the olive juice/brine.
Classic Vodkatini or Vodka Martini : The Olive juice is completely eliminated, and the recipe has just the vodka and vermouth.

Tips :

  • Make sure to chill the martini glass before starting on the preparation, as with most drinks
  • Instead of adding the vermouth directly into the shaker, you may pour a little bit of vermouth and rinse the inside of the chilled martini glass before pouring the drink.
  • Go easy on vermouth (which is actually optional), if you like it extra dry.

Notes:

  • A shot is usually about 1.5 ounces. Your shot glass size size may vary.
  • You may stir with a long handled spoon instead of shaking if you are worried about bruising the Gin.
  • This recipe make one big jumbo sized martini of about 5 shots (who drinks kid sized martini anyways?)
  • A dirty martini made with the above measurements will have approximately 380 calories.