Dirty Martini Cocktail Class

On Saturday, 20 June — World Martini Day — we're running a masterclass on The Dirty Martini. Two martinis. A hundred years apart. You get to learn to make both.The Original Dirty Martini The dirty martini dates to the early twentieth century. It evolved from the classic martini — olive brine crept in, initially by accident, then by design. By the time vodka replaced gin as the dominant martini spirit, the dirty martini had a formula that barely changed for decades: spirit, dry vermouth, olive brine. Cold, salty, direct.That's what we're making first. Vodka, brine, vermouth. Three ingredients. Nothing complicated, nothing hidden. The drink that started it all, made exactly as it was.How the Modern Dirty Martini Evolved What happened next is more recent. In the last few years, bartenders started pulling the dirty martini apart and rebuilding it from the ground up — applying the same precision to a classic cocktail that chefs have been applying to food for decades.The new version is savoury, textured, and layered in a way the original isn't. Olive oil washing became a technique for smoothing and enriching the vodka. Tomato water — a clear liquid extracted from ripe tomatoes — replaced or supplemented the brine, adding depth without the salt hit. Tinctures built from pink peppercorn and MSG pushed the umami quality of the drink further. Basil oil brought a herbal finish the original never had.The result is a drink that tastes like a dirty martini the way a really considered one should — complex, interesting, and built for people who pay attention to what's in their glass.

• Welcome drink
• Distillery Tour
• 2 cocktail martini masterclass

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