I love my photo of this basil martini almost as much as I love the basil martini itself, and I love this basil martini to the moon and back and around the world in 80 days. I love it that much. She’s a dirty girl with about an ounce worth (2 tablespoons) of olive brine, but she finishes like a lady with a subtle taste of basil. I normally like my vodka martinis with just a teaspoon of olive brine, but I’ll make an exception for this basil martini. It’s good to be dirty every once in a while.
I adapted this recipe from The New York Times‘ recipe for The Dirtiest Martini. It’s made with basil infused vodka– easy to make, and only takes 3 hours to infuse. All you need is 10 basil leaves and about 750 ml (3 cups) of vodka. I also upped the dry vermouth because I like my martini on the wetter. Instead of a splash, which is in the original recipe, I add in an ounce and a half. I like to taste my vermouth.
The Basil Martini
This basil martini is dirty, wet, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 oz. *basil-infused vodka
- 1 1/4 oz. olive brine
- 1 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
- 3 olives for garnish
- 1 basil leaf for garnish
Instructions
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Pour the vodka, olive brine, and vermouth into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir until the shaker becomes very cold on the outside.
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Strain into a chilled martini glass.
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Rub the rim and the stem of the glass with a basil leaf.
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Garnish with a skewer of olives and a basil leaf. Cheers!
Recipe Notes
*To make the basil-infused vodka, place 10 basil leaves in a 750 ml bottle of vodka. Set aside for 3 hours before straining out the leaves.
