Dirty, Dirty Sue

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If you’ve been reading this website for a while, you probably know that I spout the virtues of fresh ingredients and encourage people to eschew the use of pre-made drink mixes.

So, I was a little taken aback when I received a package containing two bottles of Dirty Sue Dirty Martini Mix in the mail this week.

Now, part of my taken-abackedness came from the fact that they didn’t include one of their awesome chocolate brown t-shirts, in a large (L). Ahem.

But what really struck me was:

A. Why would someone send me, of all people, a martini mix?
B. Who needs a dirty martini mix anyway? It’s just olive juice and gin, right?

But once I started thinking about dirty martinis, with their brine seasoned by an evening’s worth of some bartender’s fingertips, open to the elements and festooned with dead fruit-flies, I realized the true brilliance of this stuff. Olive brine in a bottle! Of course!

Well, being the consummate taste-tester, I brought a bottle to the bar and tried it out on some of the staff and customers. The verdict? Strong. And wonderful! It took some getting used to, as this is very potent juice, but once we got our proportions down, we were cranking out the most consistent, clean, delicious dirty martinis we’ve ever made.

Now, the website recommends 3 ounces gin (I’m sure the vodka was a typo) to .75 ounces of Dirty Sue, but I found that a mere half ounce worked just fine for us.

So there you go. Dirty Sue is available in 8 states (not Oregon, but you can buy it online) with more to come soon.

6 Replies to “Dirty, Dirty Sue”

  • Jim Russell says:

    First, I know my comment is a little late.

    I’ve never liked using the juice from the garnish tray for dirty martinis (dirty martini has always been an amusing double entendre to me) but, we don’t have Dirty Sue at the bar I tend. Here’s what we do: Fill a small squeeze bottle with olive brine, even if you have to sacrifice some olives to do it. Then keep your squeezy bottle refrigerated. Top it up whenever you have some spare brine and you’ll have fast, dirty martinis that don’t gross anyone out. Having the brine cold doesn’t hurt the drink either.

    I don’t mean to poo-poo Dirty Sue. While I’d love to try this stuff and possibly use it at work, most of the time us grunts don’t have much control over what makes up our mise-en-place.

    By the way, great site!

    Cheers,
    Jim

  • Eric Tecosky says:

    Thanks for the good cheer guys.

    If anyone has a quote, I will definitely put in on the website – with a link to a site if you’d llike.

    Best,

    Eric

  • Jeffrey says:

    Wow, Sean, that’s fantastic. The company was formed by a 15-year bartending veteran, so you know they’re good people, right!?

  • Mark Fleser says:

    I’ve got to try that hot & dirt sue, with gin of course. Maybe I’ll try it with vodka too…. then maybe one with tequila.

  • Sean Bigley says:

    Gee, I thought I was special. I also received two bottles of Dirty Sue this week.

    Mine however, included a check made to Y-ME Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure. Big thanks to the Dirty Sue guys. It’s always nice when smaller companies step to the plate. I love to support those who support people in need.

    Cheers!

  • Mark Fleser says:

    I’ve definitely got to try that hot and dirty sue…of course with gin instead of vodka. I don’t know, Maybe I’ll do one of each….. Or maybe one with tequila….

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