Meaning & use
dirty martini
Last updated
UK/ˌdɜːti mɑːˈtiːni/
US/ˌdɜːrti mɑːrˈtiːni/
Meaning
nouncountable
A martini cocktail of gin or vodka and dry vermouth with a splash of olive brine, giving a salty taste and cloudy look.
Grammar: Plural is dirty martinis: two dirty martinis, please.
Patterns
- order a dirty martini
- a dirty martini with olives
She ordered a dirty martini with two olives.
A dirty martini is cloudy because of the olive brine.
He prefers a dirty martini to a classic one.
Word forms
| plural | dirty martinis |
|---|
Common combinations
- order a dirty martini
- I'll order a dirty martini with vodka.
- extra dirty martini
- He asked for an extra dirty martini, so the bartender added more brine.
- dirty martini with olives
- A dirty martini with olives came with a small paper napkin.
- shake a dirty martini
- The bartender will shake a dirty martini over ice.
- vodka dirty martini
- A vodka dirty martini is a popular bar order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- martini
- A plain martini has no olive brine, so it is clearer and less salty than a dirty one.
- gibson
- A Gibson is a martini garnished with a pickled onion, whereas a dirty martini gets brine and an olive.
- vodka martini
- A vodka martini only tells you the spirit, while dirty tells you about the brine.
Opposites
dry martini
Word family
Commonly confused: dirty martini or dry martini?
dirty martini vs dry martini
A dry martini uses little vermouth; it does not mean olive brine.
Practice
What makes a dirty martini different from a classic martini?
Choose one answer.
A dirty martini includes olive brine, giving a salty flavor. The other options do not describe the cocktail.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dirty martini”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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