Dirty Martini Recipe

Chill glass

Place the cocktail or martini glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare the drink to ensure the cocktail stays cold.

Measure ingredients

Add 2.5 oz Bombay gin, 0.5 oz dry vermouth and 0.5 oz olive brine into a mixing glass filled about three-quarters with ice.

Stir

Using a bar spoon, stir the mixture briskly but smoothly for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full rotations) until the outside of the mixing glass feels very cold. Stirring chills and lightly dilutes the cocktail, preserving clarity and texture.

Prepare glass

If you chilled the glass with ice water, discard the ice/water and dry the glass. If it was in the freezer, remove it and keep it cold.

Strain

Using a Hawthorne or julep strainer, strain the stirred cocktail into the chilled martini glass to keep ice shards out of the finished drink.

Garnish

Skewer 3 blue cheese stuffed olives on a cocktail pick and place them in the glass. Optionally express a lemon twist over the surface (if desired) and discard or drop into the drink.

Serve

Serve immediately while very cold. Offer the remaining olives or extra olive brine on the side if guests prefer a wetter or drier martini.

Adjust the olive brine to taste: increase to 0.75–1 oz for a muddier, "dirtier" martini or reduce to 0.25 oz for a subtler olive note. For a very dry martini, reduce vermouth to a rinse or 0.25 oz.

Use high-quality gin (Bombay in this recipe) and well-drained brine for best clarity and balance. If you prefer a shaken dirty martini for a slightly cloudier texture, combine ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake vigorously for 8–10 seconds, then strain.