What a surprise! 
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Not to single anyone out, but what this thread is suggesting is that there is a broad definition as to what constitutes ‘dirty’ in a martini.
I see some people rinsing off olives, while others add brine as a meaningful ingredient.
I’m now thinking maybe it depends on the gin used? I use Tanqueray no 10, which is very clean tasting. If I even add a mini droplet of brine I will pick up on its taste. That’s why for me a martini is already dirty when there is some leftover brine added. But perhaps for others, using much more strongly flavoured gins, a tiny drop of brine won’t be noticed?
It all adds to the mystique of the cocktail… And here I am drinking a white wine (Quincy) while I wanted a martini but forgot to buy olives… 
No, a dirty martini contains olive brine. We’ve been through this. The only person I’ve heard defining a dirty martini as one with an olive in it, but no brine, is you.
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Yeah, I concur with small h. Again. A dirty martini has olive brine in it, not just olives. The olive is just an ingredient.
I will also repeat my personal choice of NEVER making a dirty martini with gin, only with vodka, bc most mass-marketed vodka is completely flavorless. I would never want to mess with the complex flavor profiles of a gin, which are best featured in a martini (or on the rocks, I s’pose).
I never do vodka martinis, and most dirty versions of a gin version at a bar have been too dirty. But done right they’re right (especially with a pinch of lemon zest).
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Hi - agree about vodka for a dirty martini. I usually end up with Tito’s or Stoli. If I am drinking a vodka that I like the flavor of, like Zyr, then just rocks. No martini for that one.
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Yes to this. Tossing in an olive, even if it comes with brine on it, doesn’t get you there. You need to add more brine, usually poured from the olive jar. That said, pouring brine into a martini doesn’t trip my trigger, and pouring brine into a glass of cold vodka, even if it has vermouth in it, doesn’t IMO make it a dirty martini. I’d call it a dirty V and V if it needs a cute name.
Worth another try… 
Just came back from the store to get some olives!
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Good luck with the experimenting. I’m doing a juiceless January to recover from the holiday excess so won’t be able to join. It’s been a week so I’m finally past the shakes. 
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I like the huge garlic and jalapeño stuffed olives from Sam’s Club.
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Bartenders say that a drink or cocktail does not need to be shaken unless there is a juice / sweet component.
I find that shaken martinis (depending on the ice you use) become too diluted. A nicely stirred martini will be cold, slightly dilute and taste just right.
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I also like the Dolan dry. I find that some gins respond nicely to the Dolan blanc - not quite sweet, but lighter than the dry.
The Martinez - the predecessor to the Martini - was actually made with orange liqueur. More modern variations are closer to your drink.
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Exactly! And, it,s also easier than using a shaker. I sometimes have the shaker lock up on me after mixing. By the time I manage to open it again, the cocktail has been diluted too much.
Having a martini as we speak… with on the side some olives filled with anchovies as a snack… 
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I like them both ways. They taste different, and I think it is not only because of dilution but because of temperature. I find that in a super cold martini the juniper and citrus predominate, but in a slightly less cold one, there is more softness, allowing more subtle botanicals to shine. In the super cold ones the other botanicals often emerge in the finish.
As for shakers locking up, I have had that issue with shakers that have a cap. With a Boston shaker, by the time I pull the glasses out of the freezer the seal has loosened enough that I do not find things locking up.
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I made several liters of buddha’s hand infused gin with a bombay or beefeater base. Last night, we made side by side gibson’s.
2oz infused gin
1.5 oz dolin
3-4 dashes Peychaud’s
Sprinkle Buddha’s hand salt.
Both were superb and quite nice on a cold baltimore night with cracked crab. The beefeaters was bigger and carried more punch. The bombay much more citrusy and floral.
Zesting the buddha’s hands was a huge job, so i am hoping to get 2 years out of my batch.
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Although I’m a purist about traditional martinis, I’m also fond of Vesper martinis.
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A favorite. What’s not to like about a drink with gin and vodka? A great start to any fun evening.
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Yes, those are very nice. I’ve never heard a Vesper referred to as a martini before.
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Yeah the blanc is sweeter and is pretty nice even by itself straight up or on the rocks.
Another thing about Martinez’s is it calls for Old Tom gin which is a little sweeter than London Dry. I have a bottle of Old Tom (Hayman’s) that’s several years old on the shelf since for some reason I don’t make Martinez’s very often.
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My husband was tickled when I discovered Vespers. He’s a teetotaler, but has seen every James Bond film. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of Bond trivia.
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