Although the history of the martini is somewhat cloudy, we do know that the popularity of the martini skyrocketed after British Agent 007, James Bond, ordered a martini in the hit movie “Dr. No.” T. But where did the ‘dirty’ come from?
Long before 007 ordered his now infamous martini drink, the Russians were making their favorite drink of choice, a mix of vodka and pickle brine or vodka and tomato brine. The brine was taken right from the jar and mixed with the vodka. This drink was considered a ‘morning remedy’ in Russia, kind of like the Bloody Mary is in the US.
Ask any Russian and they will tell you that after a long night of partying, they would make themselves a drink with pickle brine and vodka—instead of a Bloody Mary. After all, who has the time or energy to look for horseradish and tomato juice when they have a hangover?
This century old martini recipe traveled around the world, with each country creating its own version of the original. In the US, bartenders take olive brine straight from the jar….blending it with vodka to create a dirty version of 007’s martini.
So you see, being dirty isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s sort of an old tradition.
Exclusiv Dirty Martini Recipe
(trademark Daniel Seelbinder)
- 3 oz Exclusiv Vodka
- 1/2 oz Claussen dill pickle Juice/Brine
- 1/2 oz Olive Juice
- 1/4 oz Dry Vermouth
- garnish with a pickle and olive skewer
