Dirty Vodka Martini
Though a traditional Dirty Martini is made with gin, vodka may actually be the more historically accurate base spirit. As the story goes, when Franklin D. Roosevelt sat down with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin at the 1945 Yalta Conference, he confessed that he was feeling a bit hungover. Stalin recommended he drink a curative mix of vodka and pickle brine, but, alas, none could be found. Churchill offered up the next best thing—gin and olive brine, which he had in his possession—and history was made. Were Stalin to have carried around his own personal stash of vodka as Churchill did gin, though, the O.G. Dirty Martini would have been a much different, gin-free cocktail. Without any of gin’s juniper-heavy flavors, the Dirty Vodka Martini is all about that salty, funky brine. So make sure to use the good stuff rather than the jar that’s been sitting in your fridge since you moved in.
Dirty Vodka Martini
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz Vodka
- .75 oz Dry Vermouth
- .75 oz Olive Brine
- 3 Olives
INSTRUCTIONS
Step one
Add vodka, dry vermouth and olive brine to a mixing glass with ice.
Step two
Stir for 30 seconds until ice cold.
Step three
Strain into a coupe glass using a Hawthorne strainer to catch some of the chunkier olive bits.
Step four
Garnish with three olives on skewer.
Contributed by Supercall
Mix It Up!
If you want to add even more oomf to your Dirty Vodka Martini, add a few dashes of Tabasco, or, if you’re looking for an even brinier brine and happen to have a few oysters around, add some oyster liquor to the cocktail.
For the dirtiest of Dirty Vodka Martinis, consult these Dirty Martini variations and try adding saltwater or even sardines to your drink.