Dirty Martini

The Dirty Martini is made with either gin or vodka, dry vermouth, and olive brine. Though it may seem like a relatively modern creation, this savory variation of the traditional Martini has been around nearly as long as the pre-Prohibition classic.

Though the exact origins of the classic Martini are unclear, we do know that this iconic drink has gone through a considerable evolution since it was first introduced. When the Martini started to appear in cocktail books in the 19th century, the drink was slightly sweet, utilizing equal parts Old Tom gin and sweet vermouth. The standard combo of dry gin and dry vermouth didn’t surface until the 1890s. 

The Dirty Martini emerged soon after, during the early 20th century. The drink is often credited to Waldorf Astoria New York bartender John E. O’Connor, around 1901. O’Connor was supposedly one of the first to add muddled olives and a splash of brine to the Martini mix. This variation, however, remained rather obscure for nearly three decades.

The drink appeared in writing for the first time in 1930 when a Dirty Martini was included in G.H. Steele’s My New Cocktail Book. The recipe simply called for a teaspoon of olive brine to be added to a traditional Martini. Three years after this publication, president-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt helped catapult the savory Martini rendition into mainstream popularity. 

Roosevelt was purportedly a fan of using olive juice in cocktails and “was reported to have splashed a bite of brine in his drinks at the White House,” writes Robert Simonson in his 2019 book The Martini Cocktail. “Because of this, many have called FDR the author of the Dirty Martini.”

According to the Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails the drink didn’t get its catchy name until the 1980s when the variation grew in popularity once again.

What makes the Dirty Martini work?

Salinity has been embraced by the bar world and all manner of savory ingredients have entered the chat. Ingredients like MSG, dirty pasta water, smoked salmon, and even a Filipino-style vinegar made with fish sauce can be used in place of olive brine for interpretations on a Dirty Martini.

These creative renderings on the classic all serve the same purpose as a splash of olive juice. Savory additions in cocktails work in the same way that we use salt to enhance the flavors in food. Saline will help brighten the botanicals in the gin and dry vermouth, enhance the drink’s sweetness, and temper the bitterness.

The oils in olive brine give the drink a slightly cloudy, “dirty” aesthetic while adding umami characteristics and a luxurious mouthfeel.

Though gin is the traditional base spirit in a Martini, vodka is often preferred in a Dirty Martini. The neutral spirit lets the briny flavors shine without the distraction of perfume-forward botanicals.