This recipe starts with The Long Island Bar’s basic Martini spec: 12:1 gin to vermouth. “Depending on how ‘dirty’ the guest is requesting it, we could add anything between a quarter-ounce to an ounce or more of the olive brine,” Cecchini explains. “Some people just get borderline irrational with this dirty thing, but it’s not ours to question; you order it, you pay for it, we’re happy to make it for you.”
And while some insist on an odd number of olives in their martini, Cecchini is staunch on two olives as garnish: “We take our cue from Sinatra, who maintained that the correct number of olives in the drink was ‘one for me and one for my baby.’”
3 ounces London dry gin, preferably Fords or Hayman’s
3 ounces London dry gin, preferably Fords or Hayman’s
1/4 ounce dry vermouth, preferably Dolin Dry
1/4 ounce dry vermouth, preferably Dolin Dry
1/4 ounce (or more) dirty Martini olive brine (see Editor’s Note)
1/4 ounce (or more) dirty Martini olive brine (see Editor’s Note)
Garnish: 2 olives
Directions
Stir all ingredients with ice, until well-chilled and diluted.
Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.
Garnish with 2 olives on a pick.
Editor's Note
Dirty Martini Olive Brine
1 quart (32 ounces) pitted Castelvetrano olives
8 quarts water, divided
8 quarts salt brine solution (12:1 ratio, salt to water)
“a dollop” of Everclear, to preserve
Blend olives and 1 quart water. Pour solution into a larger container, and mix with remaining water and salt brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 week. Strain, first through cheesecloth, then a paper coffee filter. Add Everclear. Keep, refrigerated, for up to 6 weeks.
