The best dirty vodka martinis are built on a base of ultra-clean and smooth-as-silk super-premium vodka with the right viscosity, limited sweetness and zero burn. As for the other ingredients, make the olives Italian (castelvetrano) and the vermouth French (Noilly Prat); however, the success of this cocktail will always come down to the main spirit. These are the very best vodkas for mixing up the very best dirty martini:
Beluga Russian Noble Vodka
Crafted from malt spirit and the “soft” waters from Siberian artesian wells and then rested for 30 days, the triple-filtered Beluga Russian Noble Vodka is crisp as winter’s day. With very little burn and thinner viscosity than some other brands, this super-smooth vodka lends itself well to the buckets of olive brine required in an extra dirty martini (and it’s certainly suburb enough to sip chilled). Another tell-tale sign of this vodka’s superiority: the lack of hangover.
Mermaid Salt Vodka
Flavored vodka is a major no-no in dirty martinis; however, the grain-based Mermaid Salt Vodka from the sustainable, small-batch Isle of Wight Distillery, the first and only distillery on England’s Isle of Wight, is infused with just the slightest hint of local sea salt that actually works deliciously in the dirty vodka martini. The natural, distinct salt comes from local supplier Wight Salt and is hand-harvested off the island’s stormy southern coast. The flavor hits on the nose, which is best observed when drinking this vodka straight, yet even in the filthiest of martinis, this vodka won’t disappear into the background. (Bonus points for the gorgeous, mermaid-tail-inspired bottle.)
Air Vodka
Billed as the world’s first and only carbon-negative spirit, the newly launched Air Vodka has just two ingredients: carbon dioxide and water. Using state-of-the-art, renewable solar electricity technology to distill carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with oxygen as the only byproduct, every bottle of Air Vodka produced results in the removal of a pound of carbon dioxide from the air. Free of impurities and refined enough for sipping, Air Vodka manages to be a shining example of neutrality, making it the perfect vodka for a dirty martini. Plus, what other cocktail helps you tackle climate change?
U’Luvka Vodka
A modern reinterpretation of the historic vodka enjoyed in the royal courts of Poland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the super-premium U’Luvka vodka has been racking up awards and accolades from around the world. Created from Polish rye, wheat, barley and oats and twice-filtered, U’Luvka is elegant and distinct with a subtle, savory flavor and slight viscosity that lends itself well to the dirty martini.
