Make Mine Filthy

F.D.R. liked it dirty. Our 32nd president, a hearty tippler and never Prohibition's biggest fan, merrily toasted its repeal with his preferred cocktail: a gin martini muddled with a teaspoon of olive brine. His sly choice of the dirty martini served not only as a nose-thumbing to teetotaling wife Eleanor, but the heralding of his unofficial second New Deal—the end to prudish posturing and the start of a really damn good time. He who had nothing to fear was rumored to haul around his own martini-making kit, gleefully stirring up one for Stalin during the Tehran Conference in 1943. (The unworthy dictator whined it "made the stomach cold.")

photo: Corina Zappia

F.D.R.'s dirty secret

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More About

• Richard Bach
• Marion
• Food and Cooking
• Cocktails

Though times have changed—nowadays, vodka is used more often than gin—fans of the dirty martini will tell you there's only one acceptable variation on a plain ol' dry one. Make it nasty, sleazy, and as a friend of mine who orders it everywhere instructs, "as filthy as the Atlantic Ocean." This was never about drinking to your health.

Here are four bars that serve up a good one: 1. Oak Bar: This classic, old-school joint pours a strong libation, but you're paying for the nostalgia factor as well. Roughly $15.50-$18, depending on the type of gin or vodka used. 2. Bull & Bear: An after-work hang of the financial set, this place doesn't skimp on the amount of Stoli Gold they use—all the better to forget a bad day at the stock market. 3. Marion's Continental: Owner Richard Bach sagely believes a quality dirty martini is all about proportions: "You have to get the three flavors balancing out: a whiff of Vermouth, not too dry . . . and wet it with the olive juice." $8. 4. Grace: Bartenders at this Tribeca nightspot believe it's better to err on the conservative side by adding only a splash of olive juice to their Ultimate Martini (premium Russian Zyr vodka with a "breath" of French Vermouth, stirred and served straight up). $10.