The Half-Dirty Martini

Two half-dirty martinis on a white background.

Makes 2 Half-Dirty Martinis

Ingredients

4 1/2 oz London Dry gin, such as Bombay Sapphire or Beefeater
3/4 oz olive brine, such as from a jar of Mezzetta Martini Olves
3/4 oz dry vermouth, such as Noilly Prat

Directions

Combine ingredients in a shaker full of ice. Shake or stir until the outside gets frosty, around 30-60 seconds depending on your method.

Strain into two chilled cocktail glasses. Garnish with an olive.

Halibut en papillote

Serves 2

• 4 tbsp butter, plus one tsp, as needed
• 2 halibut fillets
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Asparagus tips, from half of one bunch
• 1/2 c mixed olives (I used a mix of kalamata, castelvetrano, and others.
• 4 tbsp non-pareil capers
• 1 tbsp Italian parsley

Heat the oven to 400˚F. Brown the 4 tbsp of butter in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, cut a piece of parchment paper roughly 16 inches by 24 inches for each fish fillet. Fold the parchment paper in half to create a seam, then open it back up. Place the fish along the seam skin side down and season with kosher salt. Add asparagus tips, olives, capers, and parsley. Spoon the brown butter over everything. Butter the perimeter of the parchment paper, then fold it back in half, pressing to seal the sides. Working from top to bottom, fold the parchment paper in on itself toward the fish (like this). Transfer to a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

To serve, plate the packet and slice to vent the steam.

The Martini

Calling cocktails “martinis” is like calling all comedians Lenny Bruce. Sure, we’d all like to be him, but there can be only one.

A Martini contains only gin and dry vermouth (orange bitters is optional) and is garnished with olives or a lemon twist. Never vodka (that’s called a Kangaroo). Never onions (Gibson). And if you like it “bone dry, like Winston Churchill liked it,” you’re really just drinking chilled gin (and I judge you).

That said, if you’re looking for a dirty martini recipe, I’ve got you covered.

Making a Martini can be intimidating. A drink with so few ingredients leaves no room for error. Over-pour, under dilute, stare too long at your guests with your mouth gaping and you’re asking for trouble (and a lot of uncomfortable guests).

Some people will (ridiculously) claim that shaking bruises the gin. They are wrong. Shaking accelerates dilution. Shaking drinks that contain sugary ingredients can lead to cloudy cocktails. They’ll look disgusting, but they won’t taste any different.

Makes 1 martini

Ingredients

2 ounces (70 mL) good gin, such as The Walter Collective (my personal favorite)
3⁄4 ounce (20 mL) dry vermouth, such as Noilly Prat
1 dash of orange bitters (optional), such as Angostura

Directions

Put all ingredients in a glass with ice. Any glass will do. Stir for 60 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. I use a julep strainer and think you should too. You could use two forks, as I’ve suggested before. The goal, once again, is to separate ice from the liquid. Garnish with an olive or two. Your other alternative is a lemon twist. Not a slice, a wheel, or wedge. A twist. (See page 10 if you want to know more about why I’m adamant this should be a twist and nothing else.)