Dirty Martini

For dirty martini lovers! For olive juice lovers! A dirty twist on the classic martini recipe: the dirty martini combines gin or vodka and vermouth with an olive juice twist to make it oh-so-dirty and oh-so-delightful.

The Perfect Dirty Martini Recipe to Kick Off Cocktail Hour!

The dirty martini isn’t for everyone. But if it is for you, you’ll love it more and more each time you take a sip. How dirty your dirty martini is—that’s up to you. Add or subtract the amount of tangy olive juice for a dirtier (or less dirty) martini experience. Polish off your favorite shaker and meet me at the drink cart—we’re about get saucy with this delicious dirty martini cocktail!

Dirty Martini Ingredients

Part of what makes a dirty martini “dirty” is the ingredients! Here’s a quick sum up of all the ingredients you need to make a dirty martini:

• Vodka or gin: feel free to use vodka or gin to make your dirty martini. The nutrition facts that you’ll find below are based on a dirty martini with vodka.
• Dry Vermouth
• Olive juice: I get my olive juice from a jar of olives. Bonus, you can use said olives to create a beautiful olive skewer for your martini.
• Olives

What is a Dirty Martini?

A dirty martini is a twist on the classic martini. It’s a cocktail that can be made with vodka or gin, mixed with dry vermouth and olive juice—that’s the dirty part!

The Difference Between a Martini and a Dirty Martini

So what’s the difference between a martini and a dirty martini, anyway? Simply put, the olive juice! The classic martini is made with vodka or gin, dry vermouth, and optionally, a dash of orange or aromatic bitters. [1] All of these ingredients, together, make for a clean and clear visual martini aka a “clean” martini.

The dirty martini leaves out any bitters, and instead, adds in olive juice from a jar of olives! The more olive juice you use in a dirty martini, the dirtier it is. The more olive juice you add in, the cloudier the dirty martini looks. [2] Hence, a martini that’s dirty.

How to Make a Dirty Martini

It’s super simple to make a dirty martini. First, I get out my favorite cocktail shaker set.

Then, I just add all martini ingredients (vodka or gin, dry vermouth and olive juice) into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. If I’m running low, I’ll just use a smaller amount of ice.

Shake it all together until a layer of condensation forms on the outside of your shaker. This is how you know it’s chilled!

Now, strain the martini mixture into a chilled martini glass.

Make an olive skewer by skewering 3-4 olives on a skewer such as this, this, or this. Place it into the martini glass. Sip and enjoy!

Dirty Martini Calories

How many calories are in a dirty martini? How about the amount of sodium, fat and sugar in a dirty martini? Check ‘em out:

• Serving size: 1 martini (full recipe)
• Calories: 193
• Total Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 203mg
• Total Sugar: 0.3g
• Protein: 0.1g

Dirty Martini Carbs

You know that we’re no strangers to low carb treats (aka keto delights) here on Beaming Baker. So I know you wanna know if a dirty martini is full of carbs. Luckily, that’s a no!

At just 3.4g of carbs per dirty martini, you don’t have to worry too much about your macro goals for the day.

• Total Carbohydrates: 3.4g

What’s Better, Gin or Vodka in a Dirty Martini?

You can choose to use gin or vodka in equal parts to make a dirty martini. But which is better? Gin is the classic option for a classic martini–that’s how it’s been made for decades and decades. Gin adds a more herbaceous, complex flavor to a martini while vodka is smoother. A vodka martini is thought to be more modern, but it’s truly up to you!

Shaken or Stirred

We all know the old James Bond martini, “Shaken, not stirred.” But what does each one mean? Shaken means that the martini mixture has been placed in a cocktail shaker with ice, covered with the lid, and shaken until chilled. Stirred means the entire contents of the martini mixture is poured over ice in a cocktail glass, then stirred with a cocktail spoon until chilled.

Shaken Martini pros & cons: A shaken martini is quickly chilled, without having any dilution from melting ice cubes. However, the martini can be a bit aerated from shaking–some people enjoy this aspect while others do not. Lastly, an exuberantly shaken martini will have ice shards in it–which would still cause some dilution.

Stirred Martini pros & cons: A stirred martini features a nicely blended cocktail mixture that’s a bit diluted. The dilution occurs as the martini is being stirred and the ice is melting over the course of stirring. The biggest pro to a stirred martini? Less dishes!

Tips for the Best Dirty Martini

• Use fresh olive brine: Some bartenders like to use the leftover juice from a garnish tray–this is pretty gross, unsanitary, and not tasty! Grab a jar of olives safely sitting in the fridge, and use the brine from that instead.
• Get high-quality vodka or gin: You know the vodka you bought in college because it was soooo cheap that a gallon cost the same as 1 liter of the quality stuff? Avoid it. 😉 Use a high-quality vodka that you like the taste of–it will be very apparent in your cocktail. Same goes for gin.
• Make it stirred, not shaken so you can skip the ice shards.
• Make it extra dirty… for fun! Try the recipe below to see how dirty you truly like your martini. Sometimes, dirtier is so much better.

Extra, Extra Diiiiirty Martini Recipe with Vodka

Not dirty enough? I’ve got just the thing for a perfect extra dirty martini recipe with vodka! All you have to do is amp up the amount of olive juice! Follow the recipe below for an extra dirty martini:

• 2 to 2 1/2 oz vodka or gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1/2 to 1 1/2 oz olive juice from jarred olives: you can start with as little as ½ ounce of olive juice in the shaker. Shake and sip. Add ½ ounce increments of olive juice, shake again and take a small sip. If you really want it extra dirty, go up to 1 1/2 ounces of olive juice!

Be sure to check out my popular Extra Dirty Martini for more tips!

What’s the Difference between Olive Brine & Olive Juice?

Olive brine is the leftover liquid from a jar of olives, while olive juice is juice that’s made from olives. When thinking of olive juice, think about other kinds of fruit juices, like orange juice and apple juice–olive juice is the juice that’s pressed from olives.

However, when making cocktails, the terms “olive brine” and “olive juice” are used interchangeably.

Substitutes for Olive Juice (Olive Brine)

So, you’re making a dirty martini and realize that you’re clear out of olive juice/olive brine, whatever you may call it. 😉 What do you do? Just use the following substitutes!

• Cocktail Onion Brine: grab the jar of cocktail onions from your bar fridge and measure out onion brine to taste as a substitute for olive juice. This one is a bit sweet.
• Jalapeño Brine: you can use the brine/juice from a jar of jalapenos. If you’re looking for a spicy martini, try this Hot and Dirty Martini! 🔥
• More Substitutes: Banana Pepper Brine (sweet ‘n spicy), Pickle Brine (for Pickle Lovers), Spicy Pickle Brine, Caper Brine (spicy like capers).

More Cocktail Recipes To Spice Up Your Cocktail Repertoire

• Last Word Cocktail
• Toasted Almond Drink
• Chocolate Espresso Martini
• Hot and Dirty Martini
• Classic Martini
• Gibson Cocktail Recipe
• Bee’s Knees Cocktail
• 15 Best Martini Recipes

Tools You Need

• Cocktail Shaker Set
• Bamboo Skewers
• Stainless Steel Skewers
• Large Martini Glasses
• Modern Martini Glasses

Dirty or Extra Diiiiirty… That is the Question

Do you like it dirty? Or not so much? That’s all up to you. Cocktail hour is so much more fun with you! I can’t wait to hear what you think of today’s martini recipe. ‘Til the next cocktail hour…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

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More Cocktail Recipes To Spice Up Your Cocktail Repertoire

• The Gold Rush Cocktail
• French Gimlet
• Toasted Almond Drink
• Tennessee Mule
• Gimlet Cocktail Recipe
• Jungle Bird Cocktail

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Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it!

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