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The classic martini is an incredibly simple, effortlessly cool cocktail. At its most basic level, the martini is a two-ingredient drink: a few ounces of gin or vodka and a touch of vermouth. Of course, martini fanatics can (and will) argue for hours over and the essential question — to garnish or not to garnish? There may be no other situation where the addition of a single olive to a beverage is so controversial.

Although martini minimalists may consider it blasphemous, the mixed drink's simplicity lends itself to myriad fun and funky variations like the , chocolate martini, and even (unfortunately for our writers) . In many ways, a martini is defined more by its iconic than its actual contents. One of the most infamous martini varieties is the dirty martini, which adds a kick of salty flavor via a quarter-ounce of olive brine.



The dirty martini sounds quite intimidating, but some say the savory edge of olive brine makes this salty variant more drinkable than the classic martini. What makes a dirty martini filthy? If a quarter-ounce of olive brine sounds oddly specific, welcome to the world of martinis. But in this case, the specificity is for good reason — just a little bit more or less will completely change the flavor of the drink.

True brine lovers can take things up a notch by adding more than a quarter-ounce of the salty olive juice to their cocktail, taking the drink from dirty to extra dirty or filthy. The maximum level of olive brine is a matter of debate — so.

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