Dirty Martini ~ Shaken Not Stirred

Why is it called a ‘Dirty Martini’ … because of the added Olive Brine which makes it look a little cloudy.  This is one of my favorite Martini … of course I’d never tried a Martini until a couple years ago when my niece talked me into ordering one before dinner out one night.  Thank you Kelwie!  That was a doozie of a large … no make that humongous … Martini and I must admit … one was quite enough … this one isn’t quite that size by any stretch of the imagination.  From then on I was ‘in love’ with the Martini. 

Sooooo … why had I not ever tried one you may ask?  Well I grew up in an era where everyone drank on TV … Dean Martin always had a glass of some kind of liquor in his hand on his show and we all know about 007 and his ‘Shaken Not Stirred’ Martini … so I sorta associated a Martini as a old geezer drink LOL … a lot has changed since then … now we have dozen of flavors of Martini from Lemon Drop to Pomegranate but the Dirty is still my favorite.

Dirty Martini ~ Shaken Not Stirred

3 oz Vodka

1 oz Dry Vermouth

½ oz Olive Brine

1-2 Manzanilla (or Spanish) Olive Stuff with Pimento, for garnish

Place Vodka, Dry Vermouth and Olive Brine in a Cocktail Shaker with crushed ice.  Shake vigorously for a couple seconds then pour into your martini glass.  Skewer an Olive or two and add to drink for garnish … I personally love to eat the olives after finishing my drink because they absorb all that delicious flavor.

Hint: A Shot Glass is the equivalent of 1.5 ounces.