Dirty Martini

Briny & frosty, just like the cocktail it’s named after.

As with my taste in humour, I like my martinis dry and dirty.

The dryness of a martini refers to the amount of vermouth used in the drink, with a very dry martini having little or no vermouth.

And a dirty martini contains a splash of olive brine.

Here’s how I mix mine...

You will need:

• A chilled martini glass (a few minutes in the freezer does the trick)
• A splash of dry vermouth
• A large shot of your favourite gin (or vodka, if you prefer)
• Olive brine to taste (that's the clear, salty juice that olives are bottled in)
• Ice
• A cocktail shaker
• Green olives to garnish (you can use a twist of lemon rind, if you prefer. I’m also a fan)

Add the vermouth to the martini glass. Swirl it around. Toss it out. (It's best to stand downwind of dinner guests when doing this. Aim for a sink.)

Pour the gin (or vodka), olive juice and ice into a cocktail shaker and shake until chilled (for the fitness conscious, simply holding the shaker while running at 12 km/h on a treadmill will accomplish this, too).

Strain into the vermouth-coated martini glass (or directly into aforementioned dinner guests' mouths, if this is round #3 or higher).

Skewer the olives onto a cocktail pick and drop them into the glass (or rub the lemon twist around the rim and then drop into the glass) as a garnish.

Ahhh…

- Rahul Khanna