How To Build A Great Salt And Vinegar Martini, According To A Pro

If you haven't heard of the salt and vinegar martini, you're not alone. Bartender Yael Vengroff is largely credited with inventing this relatively new cocktail. The earliest mention of the salt and vinegar martini we could find is in a 2015 issue of Los Angeles magazine. Her version of the drink — which features potato vodka, dry vermouth, pickle brine, and celery shrub for garnish — was first served at The Spare Room, a bar in the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and is now popping up in social media posts across the internet.

We spoke to Caitlinn Santiesteban, the Beverage Operations & Inventory Manager at Amal and Level 6 in Miami, Florida, to get more tips on how to make an excellent salt and vinegar martini. According to Santiesteban, "Although vinegar is part of the name 'Salt & Vinegar" martinis,' most of these cocktails actually derive their vinegar-like flavor from various types of brine. I recommend starting by experimenting with different brines you enjoy. While olive brine is the most common, brines from pickles, pickled carrots, tomatillos, onions, and other vegetables can also be great options." When it comes to getting the right balance of alcohol to tangy brine, Santiesteban recommends you add small of brine amounts to your base spirit, taste your cocktail, and then keep adding and adjusting until you've struck your ideal ratio.

To really take your salt and vinegar martini to the next level, we recommend you pickle your own cucumbers and use the brine as your vinegar base. Caitlinn Santiesteban even shared some pickling tips when it comes to picking out the vinegar you use. Santiesteban described white vinegar as "crisp, clean, and classic — perfect for a straightforward brine." By contrast, white balsamic vinegar "adds a subtle sweetness that balances the tanginess," while low-acid rice vinegar will increase the smoothness of your cocktail and make it taste more refined.

The martini, of course, needs salt as well. Some mixologists reach for a few drops of saline to balance out the back-of-your-cheeks sourness from the vinegar, but Santiesteban had some more creative options, "You can experiment with ... broths, soy sauce, garlic oils, MSG. All of which have been becoming more popular in use with the rise in savory cocktails." At the end of the day, it's all about tasting as you go. Start with a classic dirty martini as your base and swap out different ingredients while adding others until you reach salt and vinegar perfection. Plus, it never hurts to pair your martinis with a bowl of crispy salt and vinegar chips — Cape Cod Sea Salt & Vinegar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips won as best bag of bites in our ranking of 13 salt and vinegar chips.