Freezer Dirty Martini

Name: Freezer Dirty Martini
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Kevin Beary , Gus' Sip & Dip , Chicago

Photo: Lindsay Eberly

April 21, 2025

Kevin Beary of Gus’ Sip & Dip in Chicago wanted to create a Dirty Martini “to drink true to the classic vodka Dirty Martini while making some tweaks to avoid some common downfalls of hand-built Dirty Martinis.” To maintain consistency, salinity, as well as alcoholic strength and body, he batched his freezer Dirty Martini with 10% dilution and introduced a double-strength olive brine. After the cocktail is poured into a frozen glass, it’s topped with a bit of shaved ice to maintain that chill while also providing some ice chips that people love from a shaken Martini.

Ingredients

Yield:6-7

12 1/2 oz. vodka
5 oz. double-strength olive brine
5 oz. dry vermouth
2 1/4 oz. filtered water

Tools:750ml freezer-safe bottle
Glass:Martini
Garnish:blue cheese-stuffed gordal olive

Preparation

Add all the ingredients to a freezer-safe bottle and store in a freezer to -15 F or less. To serve, pour 4 ounces into a frozen martini glass. Shave a layer of fine ice over the top of the martini with Japanese ice shaver or ice block with sharp knife. Garnish.
Double-Strength Olive BrineAdd 2 cups of water, 3 Tbsp. of salt, 1 oz. of vinegar, 1/2 cup of pitted gordal olives, 1/3 tsp. of MSG, 1/3 tsp. of citric acid, and 1/4 tsp. of malic acid to a blender and blend together. Strain through a coffee filter into a sealable container. Will keep in the refrigerator for about a month.