This fresh and fizzy alternative to the Dirty Martini brings a moreish salty kick.
About the cocktail
No secrets here – we love a Dirty Martini. The addition of salty, savoury olive brine is what makes the classic Martini ‘dirty’, and it works a treat mixed with the herbaceous edge of dry vermouth (and those extra olives for the garnish are the best kind of snack, too). But the Martini isn’t the only cocktail that can get the dirty treatment – we think a bubbly, fresh, summery Spritz deserves a savoury upgrade, too. And that’s exactly what you get with the Dirty Spritz. The brine-spiked Dirty Spritz sits somewhere between a classic Spritz and a Dirty Martini. It has the herbal complexity of dry vermouth and the salty hit of olive brine that you’d get in a Dirty Martini, plus the zestiness and fizz of a Spritz. The combination is definitely on the more savoury side of the spectrum, but lemon juice and soda help to balance everything out. It’s kind of like having your salty snack and Spritz all in one – although we’d definitely be laying out a few good olives and some cured meats regardless. On that note, we reckon the Dirty Spritz will be perfect for those aperitif moments when pre-dinner drinks and nibbles are the order of the day, especially as this is less than one standard drink. The savoury style of the Dirty Spritz should lend itself to plenty of other occasions, though, and we’d love to think of it as a lighter alternative to a wine pairing, served alongside a main course like a big bowl of pasta, roast chicken or barbecue with the fam.
Ingredients
60mL dry vermouth 15mL olive brine 1 bar spoon lemon juice 75mL soda water Garnish: Gilda-style skewer of lemon peel and olive Glass: wine
Method
Add all ingredients to your glass Fill with ice Garnish with skewered lemon peel and olive
Dan’s top tips
Olive brine is the salty water that comes in your jar of olives, but we love it in drinks because it picks up that savoury olive flavour and adds a salty whack that can be deeply satisfying. But even if you love a salty, savoury cocktail, we recommend being careful with the brine – it can quickly overpower everything if you’re heavy handed. The best idea is to start with the quantity we suggest in this recipe, and adjust up or down next time based on your own tastes. When it comes to the vermouth, we’d recommend any good, dry white style. This type of vermouth is what you’d use in a Martini, and it’ll bring a herbaceous, slightly astringent quality that works perfectly with the salty brine and bubbly soda. Of course, if you’re craving a little sweetness to balance the salt here, you could certainly substitute for a blanco vermouth. You could consider boosting this Spritz with a little gin if you fancy bringing the flavours closer to a Dirty Martini. Of course, you’ll also be bumping up the alcohol content if you go full Dirty Martini Spritz, so keep that in mind.
What is a Dirty Spritz?
A Dirty Spritz is a simple vermouth-based Spritz that gets its ‘dirty’ flavour profile from the addition of olive brine.
What does a Dirty Spritz taste like?
A Dirty Spritz is salty, savoury, fresh and zesty.
- What type of vermouth should I use in the Dirty Spritz?
We recommend a good quality dry vermouth. Anything you’d use in a Martini will be perfect here.
