A dirty martini is one that contains the brine from olives. The stuff you buy in the bottle is the same liquid that you would find in your jar of olives. Bars tend to use the same type of olives that you can find in the grocery store – large queen olives stuffed with pimentos

Here’s the process for making a great martini (this is how an upscale bar or restaurant would do it)-

1. Fill your shaker tin 3/4 with ice. Make sure to use the commercial ice with jagged edges; square is best. You will need good ice to add the proper amount of water to your drink when you shake or stir.

2. Add a little bit of dry vermouth to the shaker – pour it over the ice, put on your top and give it a few swirls so that it coats the ice evenly. Using your strainer, pour out the vermouth (unless you want more). Some people skip this step and leave out the vermouth altogether, though I insist it is a vital ingredient in a gin martini.

3. Fill your martini glass with ice, then water; the goal is to chill the glass as much as possible.

4. Pour a couple of ounces (about 2 1/2 to 3oz. should do it) of vodka or gin over the ice in the shaker. Your best bet is to use room temperature liquor; if you keep it in the freezer, you won’t get enough melting of the ice. If you want a dirty martini, add a little of the brine (juice) from the olive jar. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take any out.

5. Shake vigorously! Some purists contend that a martini should be stirred, but I prefer mine ice-cold with little shards of ice floating on the top of the drink. I can’t remember the last time I ever saw a bartender at a bar or restaurant stir a martini; it takes a while.

6. Pour out the ice and water from the martini glass, and strain your drink into the glass.

7. Garnish with either a twist of lemon or two olives. Lately I’ve been on the olive kick, using blue cheese, onion or garlic stuffed olives. You can also get some other varieties, or regular olives soaked in vermouth. Most bars will use large pimento-stuffed queen olives. Make sure you spear them with something, like a toothpick or plastic sword.

8. Taste, and add more olive juice or vermouth if necessary. If you add additional ingredients, make sure to first pour them over ice and chill; you don’t want to add warm ingredients to your ice cold drink.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Cans Tomato Juice (46 oz. each – from Sysco)
• 3 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish
• 3 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 3 Tbsp Cumin
• 3 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 2 Tsp Course Black Pepper
• 6 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Fresh Lime Juice

METHOD
Mix all ingredients in a large container.  Keep refrigerated.  Pour each individual drink in a tall glass, filled with ice and 2 oz. of Absolut Peppar vodka.

GARNISH
In the drink

• 2 Spicy pickled green beans
• 1 Lemon wedge
• 1 Lime Wedge
• 2 Large Olives
• 2 Cocktail Onions (optional)
• 1 Celery Stalk (optional)

NOTE

• I personally feel like the onions and celery are a bit over-kill.  There is a fine line between a “party in a glass” and a ridiculous concoction.  Use what you like.

On the rim

• 1 Cucumber Slice
• 1 Large spicy boiled shrimp
• Seasoning mix on the rim (combination of blackened seasoning, kosher salt & black pepper)

NOTES

• The seasoning mix for the rim is easy… mix up a bunch and put it in a plastic container for later.
• The boiled shrimp was added at my suggestion.  Although it was my idea, I “borrowed” it from Cafe Rani (on Magazine St.), they did it long before I copied it at the restaurant.  Though ours was better!  The slice of cucumber was also my suggestion, but of course I borrowed that one from Pat O’Briens.  See a trend?

courtesy of Kevin Lacassin
NolaFoodie.com

A Topolo Margarita at Frontera Grill, Chicago, IL

Nothing beats a properly made margarita; tequila, orange liqueur and citrus juice, shaken and served in a salt-rimmed glass.  It’s my favorite cocktail.  The sweet and the sour flavors all blend together to create a cocktail that is smooth and tasty.  A well made margarita is a work of art and I’ve been working at it for years.  You may have to tweak this recipe for your tastes, but this one will make a great drink, every time.

INGREDIENTS

1½ ounces 100% agave reposado TEQUILA
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce Gran Marnier
1½ ounces of MARGARITA MIX (or citrus infused simple syrup)
½ ounce LEMON JUICE
½ ounche LIME JUICE
ICE
COURSE KOSHER SALT

METHOD

Fill shaker ¾ with ice, then add tequila, Orange Liquer, margarita mix and squeeze in the juice of ½ of a lime and ½ of a lemon. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds to a minute or until shaker is too cold to hold.  Rub the rim of a glass with lemon or lime slice and dip the rim into a saucer of salt until the desired amount is on the glass.  Pour the mixture into the salt-rimmed glass, or strain into a salt rimmed cocktail (martini) glass if you prefer your drink “up,” without ice.

ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

TEQUILA
I prefer to use 100% agave tequila with my margaritas.  My favorites are Herradura Reposado, Cabo Wabo Reposado and Sauza Hornitos.  Sometimes I enjoy a silver tequila, so El Tesoro Platinum is my go-to; a great tequila at a great price, making it one of the better values.  I suggest trying several different tequilas and deciding which one you like the best.  Some other great tequilas include Patron, Milagro and Don Julio.

ORANGE LIQUEUR
There are a few different types of orange liquor, the three most common are triple sec, Cointreau and Grand Marnier.  In many of my margaritas, I use triple sec because of taste and affordability.  Most contend that any 100% agave tequila should be complemented with either Cointreau or Grand Marnier, but feel free to use triple sec.  The alcohol content is lower and it’s a bit sweeter than some of the higher end alternatives.  If you are in the mood, do some experimenting on your own to find the combination you like best.

CITRUS JUICE
Although most purists suggest fresh lime juice as the citrus juice, I admit to using a combination of fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice.  I like the flavor of a half and half balance with the acidity mellowed out with the orange liqueur and sweet margarita mix.

MARGARITA MIX
To help balance the flavors, I add about 1 ½ ounces of sweet margarita mix to offset the acidity in the citrus and the strength of the tequila.  Depending on the mix you use or the flavor you desire, you may have to add more or less.  If you are ambitious, try making a simple syrup infused with lemon or lime flavors.  I always keep a bottle of Jose Cuervo margarita mix on hand for the occasion.  I really dislike their tequila, but the mix is perfect for this purpose.

ICE
I suggest using commercial ice sold in bags.  The jagged shape of the commercial ice is ideal when making a cocktail.  When shaking, small pieces of ice break off and add the right amount of water to the cocktail.  The ice is more important than you thought!

SALT
The best salt is coarse kosher salt.  Buy a box at the grocery store for cheap and keep it on hand.

• 2 ounces Vodka
• 6 ounces V8 Juice (Spicy V8)
• 1 teaspoon Prepared Horseradish
• Celery Salt
• 2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 dashes Hot Sauce (Tabasco, Crystal or Louisiana Brand)
• Wedge of Fresh Lime
• Wedge of Fresh Lemon

Method

Fill a glass with ice.  Pour in about (I stress the word “about”) 2 oz. of vodka.  I use Taaka (or Smirnoff), because that’s what the locals drink (or so the advertisement says), it’s cheap, and when you cover it up with all of the seasonings, you couldn’t tell it from Grey Goose.

Next, start adding ingredients.  Toss in some celery salt, shake in some Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, hot sauce and using a fork, add some prepared horseradish.  Last, squeeze in a lemon and lime wedge and drop them in the drink and fill the rest of the glass with V8 juice.  Have an extra big cup ready to roll the drink (roll just means to pour from cup to cup a couple of times to mix the drink).

Finally, add your garnishes.  No New Orleans Bloody Mary is complete without spicy green beans.  You can use celery stalks, olives, cucumbers or even spicy boiled shrimp to garnish your drink.  Do whatever looks pretty.  Mine has a spicy green bean, a spear of pickled spicy okra and an onion-stuffed olive.

Note: If you insist on using a mix, my favorite is by Zing Zang.

courtesy of Kevin Lacassin
www.NolaFoodie.com