The Dirtiest Martini Recipes

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.

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.

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.

THE IMPROVED DIRTY MARTINI

Steps:

• Combine vermouth and chopped olives in a sealed glass container and let sit for 3 days. Shake periodically.
• Chill a cocktail glass by filling it with ice or putting it in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
• In a mixing glass filled three-quarters full with ice, pour the gin and 1 1/2 ounces of the infused vermouth. Stir until chilled, about 30 seconds, and strain into the chilled glass. Carefully drip a few drops of olive oil (with an eye-dropper, if possible) onto the drink's surface. Serve with a small dish of mixed 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.