There are many ways to make a martini. Shaken or stirred. Vodka or gin. Wet, dry, bone-dry. But no matter how you make it, few, if any, have the cult following that the dirty martini has right now: There are $195 kits, hats and some variation of the cocktail on restaurant and bar menus everywhere.
The only problem? Between the gin — or vodka — and vermouth, this extremely drinkable cocktail is a heavy, boozy hitter — but it doesn’t have to be. To lower your dirty martini’s oft formidable potency, without sacrificing any of its signature brininess, flip the classic ratios and make a reverse dirty martini. Two ounces dry vermouth to one ounce spirit plus a quarter to half-ounce of olive brine is an ideal place to start. (This particular recipe also adds an aromatically complex pour of savory-salty fino sherry, like González Byass’s Tío Pepe Fino Sherry or Lustau Fino Sherry, for a balanced drink with a pleasingly elevated salinity.)
To ensure your lesser-proof drink retains its signature appeal, “make sure your gin or vodka has a good aromatic going on,” said Natasha David, the beverage creative director for Happier Hospitality and author of “Drink Lightly.” It’ll help you “still feel like you’re enjoying that martini experience.”
And because vermouth now makes up a larger part of the drink, you’ll want to choose a quality bottle. Contrary to popular belief, vermouth doesn’t last forever — once opened, store the bottle capped or re-corked in the refrigerator and consume, ideally, within one month and no more than three. If you’re up for something a little different and more full-bodied, Ms. David recommends using half dry and half Blanc vermouths. “You get a kind of a little bit more of an emotional roller coaster with different things happening,” she said.
Finally, it’s not a dirty martini until it’s been a little (or a lot) sullied. Just as the spirit and the vermouth choices matter, so, too, does the brine. “You have to become a bit of a brine snob,” Ms. David said. She often reaches for Castelvetrano olive brine but doesn’t stop there: Brines from pickled red peppers, pepperoncini, caper berries and preserved lemons are just as appealing.
“When you finish a jar of anything, always keep the brine,” she said. “You will use it somewhere.” And of course, make sure it’s ice-cold. In fact, she added, “Temperature in all components of a dirty martini is vital.”
To achieve that ideal nip, chill every component — spirit, vermouth, brine, glass, even the garnish — from the start. Served ice-cold and dirtied to personal preference, the lower-alcohol dirty martini is just as at home on a weeknight in as it is on a Saturday on the town.
