Back before Covid, I had a standing Monday-after-work-date with a friend. We would meet up at our favorite restaurant bar, halfway between our two houses, order 2 dirty vodka martinis with blue cheese olives, and split a spinach salad with steak. It got to the point that when we walked in the door at about 6 pm on Mondays, the bartender would have our drinks ready to go and our salad order queued up.
Then one day we got there and our favorite bartender was gone – on maternity leave. Her replacement took our order and after a few minutes, delivered our drinks. My friend and I touched glasses, took our first sips, and did simultaneous spit takes! The martini was SWEET. And salty. And weirdly citrus tasting. We called over the bartender and asked how he’d made our martinis and he told us: vodka, olive juice, and Grand Marnier! After we stopped laughing, we talked him through remaking our drinks properly – without orange liqueur. And I’m betting that he’ll never forget how to make a proper dirty martini again!
Since then, of course, we’ve had to move the bartending home, and the few years have given me the opportunity to perfect my own dirty martini. Being a born Texan, I am, of course, a fan of Tito’s vodka but feel free to use your vodka of choice.
Dirty Vodka Martini
Ingredients
- 3 oz Vodka
- ½ oz olive brine
- 3 large olives
- ½ oz blue cheese