At d.b.a. in Mills 50, the dirty martini edges out both the margarita, a close second, and the old-fashioned, a somewhat distant third, as the most popular cocktail on the menu.
Bartenders and brothers Leo and Zack Rees found it surprising at first, because neither of them favors the drink.
“To see how people lose their minds over blue cheese olives,” Zack chuckles.
Though even moreso that these, it’s likely the housemade brine that sells it hardest.
Leo Rees shows off their housemade brine at d.b.a., a Mills 50 bar. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
I’ve always enjoyed a nice martini, but in the last couple of months, after an oddly life-changing pour at the Corner Chophouse — dirty bordering on filthy, shaken to that special place where shards of ice melt on your tongue post-sip — I’ve been ordering them all over town.
And when a query on social media for people’s favorites yielded a response about dba’s from a trusted connoisseur whose No. 1 outside her own home was dba’s — “my favorite in town!” she said — my interest was piqued.
d.b.a.’s classic martini, the most popular cocktail at this Mills 50 hangout. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
Here, you’ll get one olive during happy hour, two outside those margins, all while in very good company.
“By order of magnitude,” Zack says, “it’s the dirty martini that people are ordering.”
Brothers and bartenders Leo and Zack Rees pose for photos with their drinks at d.b.a. Located next to The Strand, this two-prong family operation is a popular one. And a former Restaurant of the Year in the Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
“It’s a very personal cocktail,” Leo adds. “Everybody likes theirs a certain way.”
More info: 809 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando, strandorlando.com/d-b-a
Here are a few others around the city you might want to sample, shaken, stirred or otherwise.
$10 during Social Hour (4-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2:30-4 -p.m. Sunday), this cocktail will forever be the starter moment of what will one day be called my Martini Phase. That’s if it ever ends. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
Corner Chophouse
“Tell them to ‘make it skate’,” Michelin-awarded bartender Benjamin Coutts tells me. This, after noting my affinity for those delicate, gorgeous ice shards present in a shaken martini. The way they melt on the tongue? Heaven.
“That’s what you say when you order it,” he advises.
It’s a new one on me, but luckily, at the Corner Chophouse, it’s just how the barkeep made mine. Also “dirty bordering on filthy,” which is the way I *did* order it.
Theirs is the martini (just $10 during their Social Hour) that started my new phase in Rat Pack potables. Fat olives. Great cheese. Fantastic. Hit ’em up.
More info: 558 W. New England Ave. in Winter Park, 321-972-2383: cornerchophouse.com
Bartender Greg preps a martini at Norman’s Orlando. (Courtesy Norman’s Orlando)
Norman’s
“Martinis and discussing them is up there with conversations on barbecue when seeking to incite an (often enjoyable) argument,” says Norman Van Aken, the legendary namesake of this legendary restaurant.
“Martinis are a drink to respect for several reasons: potency obviously is a respect aspect. For this reason, I prefer them before a meal, not with. And there will be those that argue!”
And what of the gin vs. vodka debate?
“Though vodka has vastly overtaken the original spirit … the lively botanicals of gin make the vermouth less necessary. Some would say that regardless of whether it is gin or vodka. Vodka comes from the Russian language, which translates into English roughly as “little water”. The ideal of vodka is an absence of flavors. Ergo, I go with gin.”
More info: 7924 Via Dellagio Way in Orlando, 321-754-1025; normans.com
Dirty and Flirty: the Cacio E Pepe martini at Osteria Ester. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
Osteria Ester
Good Salt Restaurant Group’s Beverage Director, Lorena Castro, loves a good dirty martini. And their latest and greatest, Osteria Ester’s Cacio e Pepe offering, is a unique take that fans of the dirty will almost certainly adore.
“It’s following that whole savory trend,” says Castro.
Here, clean, clear vodka is the base.
“I really wanted the nuttiness of the Parmesan and the floral notes of the black pepper to come through. I didn’t want too many botanicals clashing with everything.”
Also notable, she tells me (and I’m ready to investigate!): “…the Chimichurri, please at The Osprey. Hunter, our bar lead, did a phenomenal job and it tastes just like a grilled cheese. It’s amazing.”
Just another reason to hit up oyster happy hour in Baldwin Park
More info: 629 E. Central Blvd. in Orlando, 407-203-3577; osteriaester.com
Despite its renown as a Cuban-influenced restaurant, the martini remains one of the most popular cocktails on a menu curated by Michelin-awarded bartender Justin Levaughn and his team at Otto’s High Dive in Orlando’s Milk District. (Courtesy Otto’s High Dive)
Otto’s High Dive
Otto’s High Dive doesn’t seem like a martini kinda place. Tropical and Cuban with a focus on rum, you might think it’s all mojitos, all the time.
But, says Justin Levaughn, owner and beverage director, they sell a ton of ’em.
This Michelin Guide-awarded bartender leans toward gin for his own martini and has good reasons for it.
“I prefer spirits that lend flavor,” he says. “And while I appreciate what vodka does, the higher quality you go with vodka, the less flavor it has. And it’s the opposite with every other spirit.”
When the topic turns dirty, however, different rules apply.
“The dirty martini was made popular by steakhouse culture,” he explains. “It’s still a classic, but one that came later, and when I make one, I choose vodka. Some brines go well with juniper, but most do not, and a dirty martini is all about the brine.”
“It’s a cocktail that breaks all the rules,” he chuckles. “But, it works.”
More info: 2304 E. Robinson St. in Orlando; ottoshd.com
Though the pear martinis are the signature pours at Pilars Martini & Loft in Winter Garden, their menu is extensive and includes the classics, as well. (Courtesy Pilars Martini & Loft)
Pilars Martini & Loft
Becky Roper opened this Winter Garden outpost in 2013, and when she did, her high school nickname, Pilar, ended up on the sign. A gift from her Spanish teacher, Mrs. Vernon, it stuck.
“I had friends who called me that,” she chuckles. “Pilar was John Wayne’s wife’s name, and John Wayne was her favorite actor at the time. That’s the origin story.”
There’s another one, too: her first pear martini, enjoyed on a visit to New York City, where her daughter was living at the time.
“I came across this drink, and I thought it was lovely, and it became my signature.”
The same went at Pilars, where there is double-entendre for days.
“There’s the Perky Pear,” she tells me, “and the Posh Pear, because they paid great money for them.”
She chuckles.
“I have a sense of humor, which I think you need to open a place like this … and I believe a martini should be fun, something wonderful in a glass. I do not hold strong to the idea that a martini is only gin or vodka and vermouth.”
That said, Pilars has classic offerings, not to mention a host of house-made bitters in flavors from orange (the most popular) to walnut, pecan and raisin.
If you were there right now, you could be “raisin” a glass.
And with that, I will see myself out.
More info: 146 W. Plant St. in Winter Garden, 407-369-8900; pilarsmartini.com
A killer martini was in the plans early on, says Sparrow owner Jason Chin. This house brine-infused beauty comes complete on its own silver tray with edible “bird seeds.” (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)
Sparrow
Back before what became the 2025 Critic’s Pick for Best New Restaurant in the Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards opened its little nest in the North Quarter, Sparrow owner Jason Chin told me that having a place with a great martini was on his to-do list.
Enter Beverage Director Lorena Castro, who crafted one of the most sipped (and photo-snapped) cocktails of the year.
“A couple of years back, it was the espresso martini growing in popularity,” she says. “People love them, but for me, it’s the classics. And these are definitely making a comeback because it’s something that pairs so well with food. It’s not going to overpower your meal.”
Not much of a concern for me. I love a martini with oysters, but mostly, I employ it as an appetizer.
“Our take is definitely dirty, fat-washed with olive oil and sticking Spanish roots,” Castro says. “I prefer dirty martinis. I love the brine in them, though our 50-50 is also a favorite, so easy to drink and a little on the lighter side with equal parts gin and vermouth.”
I mention blue cheese-stuffed olives, and as the Rees brothers may have predicted, the energy of the conversation goes up a notch.
“Is it wrong to love that last sip, where it’s swirling around in the bottom of my glass?” I ask.
“Not at all,” says the pro. “That’s what makes the martini so special. You can build it to your own liking.”
More info: 807 N. Orange Ave. in Orlando, 407-203-8524; sparroworlando.com
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.