Cooking Lesson #657: Dirty, Dirty Martini

The Cruising Collection

How you doin’? Olives are an important part of most martinis, right? Some people like just one olive and many like 3 or 4 olives to garnish the glass. When people talk about a 3 martini lunch, the olives are what give it “meal” status. I have written about martinis on this blog and have written an entire martini menu at DC-3 just off the runway at Santa Monica Airport. Martinis are the most iconic cocktail of all time.
 
I think most cocktail drinkers know about dirty martinis, but do you know what makes them so dirty? My Cruise Ship Dirty Martini recipe is heavy on the Hendricks, light on the vermouth and a bit briny from the bottom of the olive jar—just the way most people love it.
 
Of course, everyone likes their martini differently, so play with the ratios until you land on a drier, wetter or brinier version that goes down nice and easy (and doesn’t make your eye twitch). In the meantime, we’ll be over here celebrating a three-martini lunch. Our first anniversary is just around the corner and we’re celebrating getting through year one on the top deck!⁠
 
A Little Martini History… An unspoken superstition deems an even number of olives is bad luck. Like avoiding a black cat in an alleyway, most seasoned bartenders will only serve Martinis with one or three olives (never two or four). The origins of this superstition remain a mystery but are adamantly followed by all professionals.
 
Ingredients 
3 pimento-stuffed pimento stuff olives (I prefer Early California brand)
3-ounces Hendricks Gin (Hendricks is my go-to brand)
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce olive brine right out of the jar
 
Ingredients

1. Place 3 pimento-stuffed olives on a cocktail pick and set aside.⁠⁠
2. Chill your martini glass.
3. In a mixing glass filled halfway with ice, combine the gin, vermouth and olive brine.⁠
4. ⁠Stir for 30 seconds (do not shake) or until chilled.⁠
5. Strain the cocktail into the chilled martini glass.⁠
6. Garnish with the skewered olives and enjoy!⁠

​ChefSecret:  Change it up and go Caribbean by replacing the vodka with rum.

Quip of the Day:  
I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most,
After Three I’m under the table,
After four I’m under the host!
                                                                                             ~ Origin unknown, but attributed to Dorothy Parker

Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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                                                                       ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

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