The Clean, Yet Dirty, Martini

It’s Friday and we’ve got Happy Hour on the mind, “natch.” We remembered a tip that we received earlier in the week about an organic martini that originated from the New York Times, and after digging through our stack of papers, we finally found it ourselves. Yes, dirty martinis happen to be a favorite, on the rocks preferably, and this one sounds deelish right about now. We really liked the writer’s (Jonathan Miles) sense of humor in this article as he writes about Counter, a popular New York City bar that serves all-organic cocktails: “…an organic cocktail needn’t come with a sidecar of wheatgrass. After the second drink it’s easy to forget you’re saving the world. It’s pleasant, nonetheless to be reminded, which is maybe why I took such a shine to Counter’s Dirtiest Martini, made with basil-infused vodka and greased with just enough olive juice to warm your tongue rather than singe it. A basil leaf, floating faceup in the glass, seemed to wink at me, providing a constant but gentle reminder of my martini’s clean dirtiness – or dirty cleanliness, take your pick.” Thanks for the tip, Lascelles! Via (and photo) ::New York Times

Recipe for The Dirtiest Martini, courtesy of Counter and the New York Times:

4 ounces basil-infused organic vodka*
1 1/4 ounces olive juice
Splash of vermouth
3 pitted Spanish green queen olives, skewered
1 organic basil leaf

Shake the liquid ingredients with ice in a strainer. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the olive skewer and basil leaf.

*To infuse the vodka, place 10 basil leaves in a 750-ml bottle of organic vodka (TreeHugger has featured Square One) for two hours. Be careful not to overinfuse. You want a mild flavor and fragrance, not basil cologne.

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