How Do You Order A Dirty Vodka Martini
Having a dirty or extra dirty martini means using olive juice, brine, and garnishing with an olive. Having a bone-dry martini means using as little or no vermouth as possible. There are many names for vodka martinis, including Kangaroo. In Casino Royale, Bond orders Vesper by mixing three parts gin, one part vodka, and a half part Lillet Blanc.
Here Are Some Simple Tips To Make The Perfect Vodka Martini
Dilution
Although it seems contradictory, dilution is important to a great vodka martini. When prepared properly a martini should never need ice. Its should be served straight up. The dilution happens when the martini is stirred.
Skip the shake
Although James Bond says shake, the perfect martini should be stirred. By stirring with the ice and vermouth, the martini will be chilled and all the ingredients will be incorporated.
Size matters
When youre using ice to chill the martini, use a big ice cube, like cocktail ice. The little slivers of the ice will help to chill and dilute. Crushed ice is not a good idea.
Fresh ingredients, including the vermouth
Since a martini is just a handful of ingredients, it is important to have a fresh bottle of vermouth on hand. Vermouth oxidizes, which ruins the flavor. If you havent used that bottle recently, it is best to get a new one. Also, store the vermouth in the refrigerator once its open.
The glass matters
Sure that Ina Garten martini glass is impressive, but a smaller martini glass is a better choice. The small glass helps to keep that martini chilled longer. Also, chill the glass first.
With all these expert tips, heres how to make the perfect martini.
The Ketel One Perfect Martini
Ingredients:
What Is A Martini With Vermouth Called
Upside Down or Reverse: a martini that is made with the opposite proportions of vermouth and spirit. For example, 5 parts vermouth to 1 part gin. 50/50 or Perfect: a martini made with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth. Shaken: a martini that is chilled in a cocktail shaker, then strained into a glass.
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What About The Vermouth
As mentioned above, I didnt include vermouth in this recipe. In taste testing and developing this recipe, I discovered that I like this recipe so much more without the Vermouth. Give it a try, I think youll agree!
There is a note in the recipe about vermouth. If you do like it, add between a splash to and 1/4 of an ounce.
Is Vermouth Necessary In A Martini
Yes, vermouthin a four-to-one ratio with the other ingredients. You see, a cocktail must have at least three ingredients in order to be considered worthy of the term. In order to make a basic martini drink, youd need a juniper-infused spirit, some dry vermouth, and some fresh fruit or vegetablessuch as olives, lemon zest, or even a pearl onion .
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Prepare Your Glasses And Ingredients
Chill the martini glass by placing it in the freezer while building the drink if you have time to plan ahead, chill your mixing glass, too. Right before mixing time, measure out ½ ounce of the vermouth, 2 ½ ounces of liquor, and spear a couple olives onto a toothpick. As for the olive brine, start with ½ ounce at the ready. “Avoid over-pouring the olive brine,” McGlinn says. “I did a version using an ounce of brine, and it was too salty for my taste. Start with less and expect the garnish to add a bit of flavor as well.”
Okay, ingredients ready? Then grab your chilled hardware and place ice cubes in the cocktail shaker or mixing glass.
Can You Use Olive Juice Instead Of Vermouth In A Martini
A dirty martini is created by substituting olive juice for vermouth. When making flavored martinis, many bartenders choose to use vodka as the foundation since vodka is a more neutral kind of alcohol that does not interfere with the flavors of the extra components. Shake or swirl the ice in the shaker until it is completely dissolved.
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This Northwest Brewery Has A Brilliant Side Hustle
Fast forward to the extra dry vodka martini, which has neither vermouth nor gin, and is in essence pure ethanol and water chilled and served with olives, said Caporale.
Caporale said this led to no flavor to offend, but also none to attract, with the sole exception being the olives and more importantly, their salty brine. Consumers continued to want the glass but still werent enjoying the actual liquid enough, and requests came in for more and ever more olives, until some intrepid customer must have told a barkeep, Cut to the chase, just pour some olive brine in there, said Caporale.
According to Caporale, that resulted in: The story of the dirty vodka martini, which is: The story of over a century spent systematically removing flavor from a still-classic drink , and then in desperation adding one the most common and addictive flavoring chemicals in the world: salt, said Caporale.
Maybe thats harsh. But for those of us who love the dirty martini just the way it is, there remains several directions to take it!
As a bartender, as well as a consumer, I have always felt that a dirty gin martini was what the original creators of the dirty martini had in mind the first time they mixed gin and vermouth, said Jordan Johnson, lead bartender of The Register in Nashville.
This, said Johnson, makes it a difficult cocktail, but if you have a good basic recipe to lean on, it can make the process that much more attainable.
Stirring is key
Ratio
How To Make A Fruity Martini At Home
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Common Martini Terms To Know
- Dirty/extra dirty: a martini made with olive juice or brine and garnished with an olive.
- Bone-dry: a martini made with extremely little or no vermouth.
- Kangaroo: another name for a vodka martini.
- Vesper: James Bonds order in Casino Royale: 3 parts gin, 1 part vodka, half a part of Lillet Blanc and a lemon peel.
- Upside Down or Reverse: a martini that is made with the opposite proportions of vermouth and spirit. For example, 5 parts vermouth to 1 part gin.
- 50/50 or Perfect: a martini made with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth.
- Shaken: a martini that is chilled in a cocktail shaker, then strained into a glass.
- Stirred: a martini that is chilled in a cocktail glass with ice, then strained into a separate glass.
- On the rocks: a martini that is served in a rocks glass with ice cubes.
- With a twist: a martini served with a twist of lemon peel.
- Gibson: a martini served with a cocktail onion.
Gather Your Classic Dirty Martini Ingredients
What you will definitely need for a great dirty martini is dry vermouth, olive brine, olives, ice, and your preferred liquor. You can choose gin or vodka there just make sure it’s a pure distilled liquor, not a flavored spirit. “I offered two options: gin or vodka,” McGlinn says. She explains: “I’d recommend using vodka if you want more olive flavor or simply dislike gin, as vodka has a much more neutral taste and will adapt to the flavors of the cocktail. If you love gin, you will want to use gin in this.”
As for other ingredients to consider? “A lemon twist without any olive brine makes a classic martini, and onions make a Gibson,” says McGlinn. “And an olive-and-onion martini? Could be interesting!”
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What’s The Difference Between Olive Brine And Olive Juice
In the cocktail world, olive juice and brine tend to mean the same thing, but there is a difference. Olives produce juice, which is pressed out of the fruit to make products like olive oil and the brine for cured olives.
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 availablestuffed with everything from the standard pimento to blue cheese or jalapeñoeach 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.
Dry Vermouth For A Dirty Martini
This is a bianco vermouth, which is a dry vermouth with just a hint of sweetness added not so much that it becomes a sweet vermouth, but not bone dry, either. This hint of sweetness brings balance to the olive brine in a dirty martini while its citrus notes and aromatics work well with the profile of the Drumshanbo gunpowder gin for a beautifully balanced and aromatic dirty martini. Alternatively, you can use Noilly Prat extra-dry vermouth, which has an aromatic profile that works well in a dirty martini for people who prefer an extremely dry martini.
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Dry Wet Perfect Dirty
Now for a primer on how to describe your preferred martini.
DRY as noted above, most martinis served today are dry, with a ratio of around 5:1 spirits to dry vermouth. An extra-dry or a bone-dry martini has dry vermouth just rolled in the glass and then discarded, or even no vermouth at all.
WET a wet martini has more dry vermouth, such as a 1:1 ratio.
PERFECT a perfect martini has an equal amount of sweet and dry vermouth.
SWEET a sweet martini is made with sweet vermouth instead of dry vermouth.
DIRTY a dirty martini is an olive lovers ideal cocktail. In addition to the olive garnishes, the dirty martini includes olive brine. The amount of olive brine can vary from a bar spoonful or a splash to half an ounce or more. An extra dirty martini has more olive brine and a filthy martini often has a variety of pickled brines.
NEAT for a neat martini, the alcohol comes straight from the bottle to the glass.
GIBSON a Gibson is simply a martini with the olive garnish swapped for a pickled onion.
REVERSE a reverse martini has the amount of spirit and vermouth swapped such as two ounces of vermouth and one ounce of spirit.
With a TWIST with a twist means a long slice of lemon peel, twisted over your drink and dropped in the martini as garnish.
With OLIVES And, of course, the classic martini is garnished with a spear of green olives, such as the readily available and bold flavored Manzanilla olives.
Why are martinis served with three olives?
Why Is It Called A Dirty Martini
While it may not sound all that appealing, a dirty martini is actually a flavor packed twist on the traditional cocktail. The classic martini, which contains gin or vodka and dry vermouth, is very clean, dry, and aromatic. The drink is perfectly clear because it only uses clear-colored liquors.
However, when you add a splash of California olive juice or brine, it adds a cloudy appearance and interesting character to the drink that disrupts the clean flavors but still tastes great.
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Should A Martini Be Shaken Or Stirred
Martinis and any other booze-forward cocktail for that matter should be stirred. Stirring produces a silky mouth-feel with precise dilution and perfect clarity, says Elliot Ball, co-founder of The Cocktail Trading Companys The Development Bar & Table in London. While shaking adds texture and aeration, changes the mouth-feel and binds ingredients that would readily separate with simple stirring.
How to properly stir a martini: Stir by twisting the bar spoon from the top so that that back of the spoon goes around the mixing glass evenly the ingredients come together, the cocktail chills, but the drinks components arent diluted with melting ice, and in turn doesnt get cloudy. The result is a clear, spirit-strong cocktail. That is until you make it dirty!
Choosing Your Liquor: Gin Or Vodka
Like much in the world of cocktails, your spirit of choice largely comes down to your personal preference. But, a dirty vodka martini will taste much different from one made with gin. Since vodka is a neutral spirit, the olive brine and salinity will be more predominant in a vodka martini, explains Jose Pereiro, beverage director of Storico Vino in Atlanta. A dirty martini made with gin will be more complex because the botanicals can open up sweet notes on your palate, which pair nicely with the olives.
If youre going for a dirty vodka martini, try incorporating a potato vodka, like Chopin , into your martini, says Will Patton, the beverage director of Michelin starred Bresca and Two Michelin starred Jont in Washington, D.C. The full-bodied, earthy flavor of these vodkas isnt bullied by the assertiveness of the olive brine, he says.
For dirty gin martinis, Darron Foy, bar manager at The Flatiron Room in New York City, recommends Hendricks Gin , which has notes of cucumber that plays well with olive. Or, for something more herbaceous and floral, opt for a bottle like The Botanist , Foy suggests.
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What Is The Difference Between A Vodka Martini And A Gin Martini
Most cocktail professionals will agree that piney flavored gin was originally used in the first Martini recipe. However, post-vodka craze in America, bartenders and mixologists began using vodka in place of gin to suit Americans flavor palates.
Gin lends a more complex, juniper-influenced flavor profile to a classic martini, whereas vodka will provide a smoother, simpler taste profile.
How To Serve It:
The iconic martini glass is obviously a go-to, but my issue with that is that THEY ARE SO GIGANTIC! I have an enormous pet peeve about serving a 3.5 oz drink in an 8 oz glass. Like why. They look ridiculous and are so difficult to drink out of. If you manage to find a 5 oz martini glass, amazing, or use a Nick and Nora, but I will admit, the shape is significantly less cool for this drink. But again, like everything else in bartending, do what feels good to you. Serve it in a highball, its still going to taste good.
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Vodka Martini With A Twist
With my husband Roberts unique Vodka Martini recipe, you can surprise and wow your friends and family at your next gathering. Hes become known far and wide for his super popular dry martinis, which call for a special ingredient and no vermouth. They are easy to make and you can even whip up a batch ahead of time!
From the time we first started dating, Robert and I have always enjoyed sharing a martini together. Even when were traveling around the country in our Airstream trailer, Roberts often whipping up a scrumptious batch of martinis. His favorite recipe is his Vodka Martini with a Twist.
These days, we tend to enjoy Roberts special vodka martinis at home. His secret? He swaps out the vermouth for Cointreau ! The result is a scrumptious cocktail that is cool, clean, velvety smooth, and not sweet but with very slight fruity overtones. The very first martini recipe reportedly called for orange bitters, so Roberts recipe actually hearkens back to the martinis beginnings!
How Do You Make A Cold Martini
To begin, add a few ice cubes in a martini glass to chill it down before mixing the ingredients. After that, pour cooled vodka and dry vermouth into a cocktail mixing glass and fill it up with ice until it is completely filled. Allow for around 20 seconds of gentle stirring with a bar spoon between the ice and the glass to complete the process .
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Ollys Insane Dirty Vodka Martini
Our friend Oliver teaches us how to whip up an insanely good dirty martini.
2 ½ shots of ice-cold Grey Goose vodka
½ shot dry vermouth
4 teaspoons of olive brine (though I always ask how dirty they like it
3 large green olives
equipment
atomizer for the vermouth I coat the inside of the glass before I pour the martini in, as I think it makes the taste a little smoother. This step is not completely necessary in a dirty martini but in a normal one, I highly recommend you do this.
cocktail shaker
What Can I Use Instead Of Vermouth In A Dirty Martini
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Can You Leave Vermouth Out Of A Martini
Despite its distinctive taste, dry vermouth is most often used as a secondary ingredient in cocktails. While some like to drink it without mixers on the rocks, it is primarily used as an ingredient in cocktails. You can either pour out the vermouth or keep it in the drink if most barkeeps tell you to just swirl the glass with an ounce of dry vermouth.