Cocktails - Videos

How to make a dirty martini

Allen Katz, Host, 'The Cocktail Hour', Martha Stewart Living Radio

You can make a dirty martini with either gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and a little bit of olive brine. The key is to hold back on the olive brine, because too much is disgusting.

Step 1. In a tall mixing glass, add 2-1/2 parts of gin or vodka to half a part of dry vermouth. The fruitiness of the vermouth adds a sweet aroma.

Step 2. Once they're combined, take a bar spoon and add a bit of salty olive brine to the glass, just enough to give it a nice coloration.

Step 3. In a second mixing glass, add some ice. Stir the gin or vodka, vermouth and olive brine for about 20 seconds or more, then let it rest so that the flavors are mixed and it's diluted enough.

Step 4. Chill a martini glass with ice and a splash of water. When it's good and cold, get rid of the ice and strain the cocktail into the glass. Then add garnish, which for a dirty martini is a well-brined olive. Or two.

Voila, the perfect dirty martini.