Dirty Martinis

[bigtoys]

Gotta admit it. After whiskey, a gin martini is my favorite drink. I've become partial to the "dirty" martini recently. I started with Tanqueray, then Tanq 10. Tried Bombay Sapphire and love it; I keep a bottle in the freezer. Lately, I've discovered Hendrick's Gin and it could be a new favorite. Olive juice is getting more available; Sam's Wine has it and I saw Dirty Sue's Olive Juice (apparently made popular on Sex In The City) at Cost Plus the other day. I ordered a few different bottles online several months ago, but it looks like that won't be necessary anymore.

Oh, the other thing is bleu cheese stuffed olives. Sam's Wine has hand stuffed olives that use a mix of Maytag Bleu, Stilton, and cream cheese. They are AMAZING; that's what's in the pic. An alternative is Santa Barbara; I keep a fresh jar around just in case. Have to avoid olives that sit in oil; they ruin the drink.

Here's tonight's cocktail:

[robbyvirus]

I too love a dirty martini. Tanqueray 10 is currently my go-to gin at the moment, and I'm also careful not to skimp on the vermouth. It's become trendy in recent years to add only a few drops, or to just wave the vermouth bottle towards the gin, but the truth is that vermouth and gin go quite well together and to skimp on the vermouth cuts out a great and pleasurable part of the drink. And I concur about blue cheese olives, although I've never tasted any "store-bought" blue cheese olives that are as good as homemade. Get some blue cheese and some olives and try it yourself...oh man, are they good!

[BourbonJoe]

I too love a dirty martini.

Add me to the list.

Joe :usflag:

[bigtoys]

+1 for the vermouth. Maybe for a vodka martini less is more, but as robbyv says

the truth is that vermouth and gin go quite well together

Vermouth definitely compliments the gin.

There's a gin made here in the north suburbs by a husband and wife team called North Shore. I met the wife a few weeks ago at Sam's and sampled their summer limited release rhubarb and ginger infused gin, very interesting. She told me that they actually compared several vermouths with their gin and found distinct differences.

[Aged In Oak]

I'll add another vote for the vermouth in a standard martini really adding to the drink. I will admit that I prefer my martinis on the dry side, but not to the point that vermouth is left out and all you have in the glass is chilled gin with an olive.

That said, perhaps my favorite cocktail of all time is the smoky martini, gin with a "splash" of blended scotch (enough to just change the color) garnished with a lemon twist. Makes a fantastically smooth and enjoyable drink! A true king among cocktails. :bowdown:

Never been a huge fan of the dirty martini. I should revisit it, though, since I haven't tried one in years.

[CrispyCritter]

I tend to go for the sweet martini: gin, red vermouth, mixed 3:1, a dash or two of bitters, gin never pre-chilled, stir it!, and a cherry.

A splash of maraschino liqueur sometimes finds its way into the mix, too, bringing it closer to the original Martinez.

For a dry martini, 4:1, Noilly Prat, lemon twist, and the obligatory bitters. I'm not a fan of green olives, and I prefer black olives in sandwiches or pizzas rather than cocktails.

A side note regarding bleu cheese: Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing/Distilling fame comes from the same Maytag family that makes bleu cheese in Iowa - and the same family that founded the appliance manufacturer.

[jbarlycorn]

I like to buy a jar of big onion stuffed green olives, pour off the saltwater, and replace with Vermouth of choice ahead of time. Add 2 on a toothpick to Bombay Extra Dry in an oversize glass, both as cold as possible.

Thats my Martini, and i am stickin to it,

Robert

[barturtle]

As a bartender there are many long held traditions, the number of olives in a martini is one of them...most say 3 some say 1 never is the number 2. It's said to be bad luck, and is learned quickly by bartenders who don't want to have to make a martini twice...three seems to be more traditional, with the 1ers believing it's a drink, not an appetizer

[BourbonJoe]

three seems to be more traditional, with the 1ers believing it's a drink, not an appetizer

I'll take the appetizer (3 olives) in a Bombay Saphire Martini......every time.

Joe :usflag:

[ratcheer]

As a bartender there are many long held traditions, the number of olives in a martini is one of them...most say 3 some say 1 never is the number 2. It's said to be bad luck, and is learned quickly by bartenders who don't want to have to make a martini twice...three seems to be more traditional, with the 1ers believing it's a drink, not an appetizer

I have always preferred three, but I never knew why.

Tim

[bigtoys]

I always ask for 3 olives when I'm out, otherwise the standard around here seems to be 2; they must not know or buy into that bad luck myth.

At home, I'll frequently pop in 2 sets of 2--a combo appetizer/drink

[jbarlycorn]

Man i love these forums...my wife reminded me that a little lemon zest is good. 3 olives it is! Would not want to jinx anybody...bitters is also a new concept for us in this context, we will try it.

robert

[bigtoys]

At Nick's Fishmarket last night ordered a dirty martini, bartender put in 2 olives and I told him about the jinx. His reply: "So you want 3 olives, right?" I really wanted like 4-5, but I took the third. He pointed out that frequently 3 olives won't fit on the pick.

BTW, what do you pay when you're out for a martini? Here it's like $10.50.

[barturtle]

At Nick's Fishmarket last night ordered a dirty martini, bartender put in 2 olives and I told him about the jinx. His reply: "So you want 3 olives, right?" I really wanted like 4-5, but I took the third. He pointed out that frequently 3 olives won't fit on the pick.

BTW, what do you pay when you're out for a martini? Here it's like $10.50.

Hell you're nice...my customers would have had me dump it and make a new drink with three olives...