Lower-Alcohol Dirty Martini

By Rebekah Peppler

Updated May 1, 2025

Lower-Alcohol Dirty Martini
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(50)
Comments
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Dry vermouth and fino sherry make up the base of this lower-in-alcohol cocktail, while keeping all the flavor of an original dirty martini. To start, ensure everything (the bottles of dry vermouth, fino sherry and spirit, the olive brine and garnish) is nicely chilled and use plenty of ice to stir your drink before pouring into your (also chilled) glass. If you’re unsure just how dirty you prefer your dirty martini, start with ¼ ounce brine and work your way up. Lastly, the small but aromatically complex addition of fino sherry gives the drink more depth and texture.

Featured in: Finally, a Dirty Martini You Can Enjoy on a School Night

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink
  • Ice
  • 1½ounces dry vermouth 
  • ½ounce fino sherry
  • 1ounce gin
  • ¼ to ½ounce olive brine 
  • 1lemon peel, for serving (optional)
  • 3green olives (such as Castelvetrano), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

158 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 0 grams protein; 209 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a martini or Nick and Nora glass in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour. (You can also opt to fill the glass with ice and water, stir for 30 seconds, pour out the ice and water, and pour the finished drink into the now-chilled glass.)

  2. Step 2

    In a cocktail shaker or mixing glass filled with ice, combine the vermouth, sherry, gin and olive brine. Stir until very cold, about 30 seconds, then strain into the chilled cocktail glass. If serving with a lemon peel, hold the peel by its long edges, skin facing down into the glass, pinch the peel to release the citrus oils then add it to the glass. Thread a skewer with the three olives, add to the glass and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5
50 user ratings
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Comments

Jake

@Sherrod Shiveley. Except for the fact that the original martini was either a 50:50 gin:vermouth or 2:1 ratio of gin:vermouth. So, no this is not too much vermouth based on the history of the martini. If you like straight gin or straight vodka with a whiff of vermouth, more power to you but your preference doesnt make this recipe incorrect.

Phil B.

Made exactly as written - except left out the Sherry, all but a drop of the Vermouth and I tripled the Gin. Came out perfect!

Ladene

made exactly as written. Has a little less alcohol than a regular martini so it showcases the herbs of the vermouth and gin. A pleasant mid-week cocktail.

Elliot

To be honest, lightly chilled (50Fish) Fino drinks like a low ABV martini already. Why adulterate a perfectly good drink? This is, to me, the unfortunate state of cocktails at the moment. Taking a classic, adding a few things, and calling it a "riff"....I've drank enough blackberry-margaritas and wood-smoked-bacon-old-fashions thank you. Do yourselves a favor, enjoy your sherry straight, your martinis wet, and your bourbon neat. So sorry to the 'mixologists' of the world.

Andria

Absolutely delicious! This will be my go-to martini recipe from now on.

Sherry hound

Give credit where credit’s due! This drink — dry sherry + dry vermouth — has been around since the 1800s, and it has a name all its own: the Bamboo. (Just make it 50/50 sherry and vermouth, rather than the proportions in this recipe, and you’ve got the original — and, for people who like sherry, a better cocktail. For another twist, instead of dry/dry, try sweet vermouth + a richer sherry, and you’ve got a drink called an Adonis.)

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