Martinis Aren't The Only Cocktail That Likes To Get Dirty. Margaritas Have Entered The Chat

The first time you work up the nerve to drink a dirty martini, you'll realize you've been wrong all along. The saltiness from the olive brine blends and softens your vodka or gin (both acceptable in our book) and you get a flavorful, ice-cold sensation with each sip. Now it's time to take what you learned from the dirty martini and apply it to tequila to make a dirty margarita for a refreshing summer cocktail with depth. Think about it, thanks to its adorned rim the first taste you get is already salty. So kick it up a notch for a margarita unlike any other you've tried before.

The margarita is the ubiquitous tequila cocktail. There's a good chance your introduction to tequila was either shots with lemon chasers at a party or a margarita at a Mexican restaurant. Your usual margarita includes tequila, triple sec, lime juice, salt on the rim, and agave syrup for a touch of natural sweetness from the same plant that's at the core of tequila. Of course, nobody ever said you couldn't get creative with more flavors to give the margarita more depth. To dirty it up, add in an ounce of olive brine and replace the traditional garnish of a lime wheel with a few olives. Now you have a salty, savory margarita and a few olives to snack on.

If you're new to the idea of olive brine in your cocktail, you probably think this shouldn't work. And in fact, if you don't want a savory cocktail, it may not be for you. But if you already like a dirty martini or prefer Tajin over salt with your margarita, you're already experimenting with bringing your cocktail closer to your dinner plate. Many cocktails fall into the category of aperitif or digestif. You have them before your meal or after. Savory cocktails, on the other hand, pair well with meals. And a dirty cocktail does just that through its added layer of 5th dimension umami flavor. The margarita, with a mild tequila flavor, slightly sweet citrus notes, and touch of salt, is already poised for this new dimension.

Olive brine does more than add salt to the taste of your cocktail. A dirty margarita drinks more like a martini and its taste changes as the cocktail dilutes. When you begin, you have a drink that's complex and begs for short sips, perhaps with good conversation as dinner is prepared. By the end, you have a more refreshing drink you can take outside on a cool summer evening. If you're hosting a party and wish to make a cocktail that will leave your guests guessing as to how you've elevated a drink they've had many times before, try dirtying up a margarita. And make mine filthy, please.