Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Fill your coupe or martini glass with ice water and let it sit while you prepare the drink to pre-chill it.
- Add a handful of fresh ice cubes to your mixing glass or pitcher, preferably large cubes that melt slowly.
- Use your jigger to measure out 2.5 ounces of gin and pour it directly over the ice in your mixing glass.
- Measure 0.5 ounce of dry vermouth and add it to the mixing glass with the gin.
- Add 1 ounce of olive brine directly to the mixing glass, stirring gently to combine.
- Using your bar spoon, stir the mixture slowly and deliberately for about 30 seconds, moving the spoon in a smooth circular motion.
- Empty the ice water from your pre-chilled glass and use your strainer to pour the cocktail mixture into the glass, leaving the ice behind in the mixing glass.
- Thread four to six olives onto your cocktail pick and rest it across the rim of the glass or let it sit in the drink.
Notes
Always use quality olive brine from olives you actually enjoy eating; cheap, thin brine will result in a flat, unbalanced cocktail. Invest in good gin; cheap gin tastes thin and harsh when stirred down, while quality gin maintains its botanical character. Keep your spirits and glasses in the freezer before making the drink to reduce the time needed to chill everything and minimize ice dilution. Stir rather than shake your martini; shaking aerates the drink and creates cloudiness, while stirring keeps it silky and clear.