Shaken or stirred? Whichever way you like your dirty martini, you’ll be treated to a bold cocktail, it’s strong, salty, and briny, with alluring cloudiness and garnished with olives, this is a cocktail that doesn’t mess around. Become a home bartender, cut costs and learn how to make this easy 5 minute cocktail recipe.
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Why you’ll love this easy cocktail recipe
Dirty martinis have a reputation, they are the cocktail that divides people, either you love them or hate them. But you’ve got to try one – right?
Go into any bar and you’ll see a whole array of different martinis on their menu.
You can choose from a passion fruit martini, espresso martini, French martini, and many more.
But they are expensive, REALLY expensive, so we set out to recreate them, so you can save money and make them at home.
What ingredients do I need?
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below to make your dirty martini.
What is a dirty martini?
A dirty martini is a cocktail made from just 3 ingredients, gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and olive brine – that’s it.
So, what makes it dirty?
It’s the olive brine or olive juice, that you put into the cocktail.
How dirty you have it, is up to you.
This simply means if you like it really ‘dirty’ you put more olive brine in the drink to make it cloudy.
It’s one of those classic cocktails, that’s right up there with the dry martini.
What is vermouth?
Vermouth is a fortified wine that has been flavored with botanicals.
There are two main types of vermouth, simply sweet vermouth, and dry vermouth.
But these days you can also buy sweet blanc or Bianco, extra dry white, red, amber, and rose.
Make it cold – ice cold
A dirty martini is best served cold.
If possible, chill your cocktail glass so that it’s nice and cold before mixing your drink.
Make sure you fill your mixing glass with ice cubes.
Stir for long enough.
Remember the ingredients don’t go in cold, and you don’t add ice to your cocktail glass.
What glass should I use?
Unsurprisingly, a classic martini glass is an ideal glass to use when making a dirty martini.
But a coupe glass would also work well.
Is it the martini that James Bond drinks?
The iconic Bond line ‘I’ll have mine shaken, not stirred’ is about a vodka martini.
So yes, it is a James Bond cocktail.
But if you’ve read any of the books and watched Casino Royale, the Vesper Martini is the cocktail that he drinks.
Let’s talk olives
We’ve used green olives for our dirty martini.
But if you want to try another type, then go for blue cheese stuffed olives.
Spanish pimento olives are also great to use.
Stuffed olives will add flavor to the brine.
What equipment will I need to make it?
To make a dirty martini, you’ll need the following bartender equipment.
A mixing glass or cocktail shaker
A jigger (measure)
Cocktail stirrer or bar spoon
A cocktail glass
Recipe notes and expert tips
More easy martini recipes for you to try
If you like our dirty martini recipe, then you should check our other martini recipes out!
How to make a dirty martini with step by step instructions
Making our dirty martini recipe is easy if you follow our simple instructions.
In a cocktail mixing glass filled with ice, add gin or vodka, vermouth, and green olive brine (or olive juice).
Either shake or stir your ingredients to combine and to chill them.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with and garnish with green olives.
Serve immediately, enjoy, and cheers!
We hope you enjoy making and drinking our dirty martini recipe and would love to hear how you got on with making it.
Please leave a comment below and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
The perfect dirty martini recipe – just in time for your party!
Utensils
Ingredients
- 2½ oz Gin or vodka
- ½ oz Dry vermouth
- ½ oz Olive brine
- Olives to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a mixing glass with ice and add your gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and olive brine, either shake or stir to combine
- Strain into your cocktail glass and garnish with olives. Celebrate in style – cheers!
Notes
Chill your martini glass before you use it Quality
With few ingredients, make sure you use the best quality gin or vodka that you can afford Don’t have a mixing glass or cocktail shaker?
Use a mason jar instead, this is a great workaround No green olives?
Use cocktail onions instead
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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Did you make this recipe?
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Glenda says
You couldn’t have made that simpler. I was able to replicate every step and complete a tasty beverage in minutes! Thanks for the recipe and information!
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
That’s great to hear, we try to make our cocktail recipes as easy as possible – enjoy!
Lynn Polito says
I love dirty martinis at restaurants, I didnt realize how easy they were to make at home! So good!
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
And at a fraction of the cost too! Cheers!
Sherry says
Another great cocktail recipe by Jane and Mandy!! After a hard day at work, I like to make this Dirty Martini Recipe and go relax on my back deck. This martini recipe is so easy to make and tastes amazing!!
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
Thank you! You are so right, it’s the perfect ‘after work’ chillout cocktail isn’t it!
Jennifer says
The tip about using a jar is genius! I don’t have bar tools so this came in quite handy and it cured my craving for a martini!
laura says
This made an absolutely perfect drink. We all loved them at our party, thanks!