what makes a martini "dirty"?

The olive alone does not make a Martini "dirty". The classic Martini was originally made with half gin and half dry vermouth. Later, the garnish of either a green olive or a twist of lemon peel was added.

Over time, the amount of dry vermouth was decreased and a green olive has remained as the most accepted garnish. Some people prefer more than one olive in their Martinis, but you have to request this.

Some people like to have some of the olive juice from the jar poured into their drinks. This is called a "dirty Martini", because it makes the clear gin look dark and cloudy.

In the past, if you ordered a Martini with one olive, you would receive the cheapest gin that the bartender had in their"well", in front of them, along with dry vermouth. A Martini made with vodka would have to be a "call" drink. A "call" means you are changing the original recipe. If you only changed from well gin to well vodka, the price would not go up. But, if you order a higher quality alcohol than the cheap well liquor, then the price of your call goes up.

Today, vodka has replaced gin as the standard liquor for a Martini. These days, In most bars, if you want gin, you have to call for it. If you want anything but the bottom shelf, grocery store brand vodka, you have to call it. If you you like more dry vermouth, you can call for a "Fifty Fifty Martini. This means, half vodka and half dry vermouth. If you like the normal amount of vermouth, just order your Martini with your choice of vodka. If you prefer less dry vermouth, call for a "dry Martini". If you want no vermouth at all, ask for a "bone dry" Martini and you'll basically get straight vodka with an olive.

Finally, you can order a "Perfect Martini" which calls for the vermouth to be half sweet vermouth and half dry vermouth, but with the normal total amount of vermouth. There are many variations on the classic Martini, but those are the basics.

It's more so a name reflecting he actions of those who drink them. out of alcoholic beverages these drinks claim the most teenage pregnancies to boot. infact With out the 'dirty martini', there would be no show called 'teenage mom'.

Juice from the olive jar.

The olive. (technically, it is dirty because of the splash of olive juice).

Olive juice, Cocktail olives, that is.