The Real Deal!

Webster sez:

One of Wanda’s cold-weather favorites! The extra dirty martini. She uses vodka but gin is acceptable, too. (Admittedly, given my proclivity for a Tanqueray and tonic, the gin inventory here at The Kitchen Island is always in flux, so vodka may be her path of least resistance.) The raw oysters in the background represent the balance of our St. Valentine’s Day opening round. The main event is a story unto itself – and will be posted on our next

scheduled recipe post. If you haven’t signed up to receive the notifications, please do. (The “follow” box is in the upper right corner of this page.)

What ‘cho need. Baby we got it!

As you can see, there are not too many ingredients. But what makes the martini “dirty” is the addition of olive brine – the juice in the olive bottle. What makes it extra dirty is going a little heavy on the brine.

1) Fill a shaker with ice

2) Pour in two ounces of vodka (or gin)

3) Add 1/2 ounce of vermouth

4) Add one ounce of brine for “dirty” or 1.25 ounce for “extra dirty” – the way my baby likes it!

5) Put the top on the shaker, a Van Halen song on the iPod and shake that thang! Before David Lee gets to the chorus, you’ll have the beginnings of a fabulous evening! Add three olives, taste and wonder how in the world mankind survived before comrade Igor Mikhailovich Stolichnaya left the potatoes in the pot too long!

Á votre santé