The best dirty martinis in New York

Despite its evolution, the dirty martini (shaken, stirred, wet, dry, etc.) remains a classic cocktail with roots dating back well over 100 years. The best can still be found loitering at the finest bars and lounges in New York City, where skilled mixologists craft exceptional dirty martinis that perfectly capture the essence of this iconic beverage that continues to rival any trendy competition. Here are the five best. 

Brasserie Cognac East

Restaurateur Florian Hugo opened this Upper East Side outpost of Brasserie Cognac, the 'home' of Parisian charm in New York, in 2013. There, amid the red booths and gallery walls (and, for those interested, a frequent filming location of Sex and the City), can be found one of the best dirty martinis in the city. Each comes with three medium olives and is perfectly briney – not sour nor overpowering – employing Bel Aria pitted Castelvetrano olives (which Bon Appétit called 'the best' olives, and who are we to argue?).

Best for: catching up with friends over a long dinner (and exemplary cocktails). 

Orsay

At Orsay, a neighbouring diner leaned over, upon hearing my dirty drink order, to tell me that he ordered a Vesper martini because it is James Bond's drink of choice in Casino Royale. You cannot write about martinis without mentioning their number one advertiser.

At this French brasserie on the Upper East Side, which took over the prized halls of upscale celeb-packed hotspot Mortimer's, dirty martinis are served using the brine of Cosmo's pitted queen olives. Three large, plump ones are included in the glass and swim around tiny chips of ice. Delicious.

Best for: a suited and booted business lunch, 007-style. 

Knickerbocker Bar & Grill

Holland & York pitted olives provide the signature flavour in the dirty martinis made at Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, an unassuming and modest bistro with old-school glamour and attentive waitstaff. The food is as good as in many other, pricier eateries, but head here for a drink and the largest shrimp cocktail you've ever seen. You’ll decompress in the relaxed atmosphere where Adam Driver's character sings Being Alive in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, accompanied by the restaurant's grand piano that provides a pint of entertainment to patrons every Friday night.

Best for: a properly ‘NYC’ evening soundtracked by live jazz.

Casino

No restaurant better encapsulates the current see-and-be-seen fervour of dining out in the Big Apple quite like Aisa Shelley's Casino on the Lower East Side, which opened in late 2022. Housed in the former digs of Mission Chinese, this coastal Italian restaurant has locals falling over themselves to snag a reservation to try nduja bread with honey butter and oysters on the half-shell while mooning about at half-moon banquets for a fun people-watching experience.

Its dirty martini isn't yet as popular as the more trendy espresso martini on the menu. (In fact, it's not even on the menu.) But with a heavy pour of juice from a jar of Imperial queen pitted olives and garnished with three of formidable size, it's all too easy to sluice down and order another of the same.

Best for: serious cocktail lovers – you’ll find some of the city’s most creative serves here. 

El Quijote

At El Quijote in the newly reopened Hotel Chelsea – the legendary hotel was under construction for the better part of a decade before throwing open its doors to the public earlier this year – there is a surprising contender for the best dirty martini.

The tapas and traditional Spanish fare from chef de cuisine Byron Hogan pair well with the dirty martini, using brine from gordal olives. Just one pierced through with a toothpick bathes in this drink, but the glacial fragments and culturally significant surroundings more than compensate for the dearth of meaty olives.

Best for: romance. The candlelit, rouge-splashed interiors make you feel automatically cosier – especially when you score one of the leather booths.