Dirty Martini
Salty, briny, unbothered
A Martini that's been to the gym and skipped the shower — in the best way. A generous splash of olive brine turns the crisp, dry classic salty, savory, and addictively briny. Made with gin here, but vodka is just as common — that's a Dirty Vodka Martini. Order it 'extra dirty' if you want it to taste like the bottom of the olive jar — some of us do.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 oz Gin
- 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
- 1/2 oz Olive Brine
Method
Add gin, dry vermouth, and olive brine to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir for 20-30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with two or three olives on a pick.
Documented as a Dry Martini with muddled olives served by bartender John E. O’Connor at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, in 1901 (per cocktail historian David Wondrich). The first printed recipe naming olive brine as an ingredient appears in G.H. Steele’s My New Cocktail Book (c.1931). Per Difford’s Guide; historically popular in mid-20th-century American bars. Notes: distinguishes the muddled-olive (O’Connor, 1901) form from the brine-added (Steele, c.1931) form; not on the current IBA official cocktails list (removed 2020).