The Best Vodka for Each Martini Variation, According to Bartenders

There are boundless ways to personalize a Martini. There’s dry with a twist, dirty with an olive, savory Gibsons, quaffable 50/50s … the list of customizations goes on. But the most significant and divisive specification is the choice of spirit: gin or vodka.

Just as which category of spirit goes into your Martini is critical, the brand of liquor should likewise not be an afterthought. While the gin category offers more diversity in flavor that can suit different Martini variations, choosing the right brand for a vodka Martini is equally important. Despite the common misconception, vodka isn’t always completely neutral, and each liquid’s base ingredients and production methods can have a major impact on the flavor of your ’tini.

So, we tapped top bartenders from across the country to recommend a specific vodka for three different Martini variations: classic with a twist, dirty with olives, and a wild card of their choice. Here are the best vodkas for each Martini variation, according to 11 bartenders.

Atticus Basehore

Head bartender, Chambers, New York City

Classic Martini: This is a drink for someone who really loves vodka with some nuance, so I’m grabbing Barr Hill Vodka. Distilled from raw honey, it has all of the aromatics of the base material without any sweetness.

Dirty Martini: I want a little spiciness and some rich texture to hold up against the olive brine. I tend to go for Polish rye vodkas because of their robust character. Wodka Vodka is produced from rye coming from a single estate, and it retains some beautiful black pepper notes along with a really full body.

50/50 Martini: I think 50/50 Martinis are beautiful with vodka because, deep in my soul, I’m really just a vermouth drinker. So, compared to other Martini specs, this format really shows off the vermouth you are using, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the vodka. Axberg from Reisetbauer is truly a masterclass in precision and is perfect accomplice to a solid vermouth.

Charlie Szur

Head Bartender, Confidant and Frenzie, NYC

Classic Martini: Belvedere. It has a rich, creamy mouthfeel with a subtle floral sweetness, delivering an inviting experience both in texture and flavor.

Dirty Martini: I’m a big fan of introducing a touch of sweetness to balance the strong, salty overtone of the drink, and Tito’s is the best vodka for the job. Made from corn, Tito’s retains a bit of that earthy, honeyed sweetness, pairing well with olive brine and salt.

Perfect Martini: I love to use Haku Vodka, made from white rice, in a Perfect Martini, which features both sweet and dry vermouth. The more mineral-forward palate provides a rich, savory-yet-sweet profile that perfectly matches the sweet vermouth.

Alex Howard

Bar director and co-owner, Martha My Dear, Nashville

Classic Martini: I’d choose Ketel One. It has enough grain character to actually contribute to the drink’s texture while remaining clean enough for the vermouth and lemon oil to still read. It also has a slight peppery finish that makes the Martini taste crisp rather than just cold and diluted.

Dirty Martini: I actually would also pick Ketel One for a Dirty Martini for the same reasons. Its subtle spice keeps the drink lively against all of the brine’s salt, and its dry finish keeps the drink from coming across too soft or sweet.

Alpine Martini: “Weird” Martini variations usually incorporate additional complexity, so I shift my focus to the other ingredients in the drink besides the vodka. Because of this, I would choose something softer, such as Tito’s. Its corn base gives a sweeter, rounder impression that can take a back seat and let the other elements shine. I particularly enjoy an Alpine Martini made with Tito’s, dry vermouth, Génépy, and a dash of orange bitters.

Tiffany Wang

General manager, Ops, NYC

Classic Martini: My pick for a classic Martini is Supergay Vodka because it provides a smooth base that allows for a clean finish. There’s also a touch of vanilla that balances the overall cocktail.

Dirty Martini: I love Tito’s for a Dirty Martini because it provides a blank canvas with a slight, underlying sweetness that allows the olive brine to shine.

Gibson: Tommyrotter makes a great small-batch vodka that has a slight peppery finish, complementing the briny bite from a pickled onion.

Natasha Van Duser

Co-owner, beverage director, and general manager, Bateman’s, NYC

Classic Martini: I like to reach for Altamura Distilleries vodka, an Italian vodka made from 100 percent durum wheat, which gives it a creamy, umami depth that other vodkas don’t have. A classic Martini is all about letting the base spirit be the shining star, so utilizing a vodka with a layered flavor profile is a must.

Dirty Martini: I like to use a crisp, clean vodka that will pair well with the brine, so I typically reach for Deep Eddy Vodka which is made out in Austin, Texas. It’s a corn-based vodka that is distilled 10 times and filtered through charcoal four times, removing any harshness and making it a great base for a Dirty Martini.

Any Martini riff: I always grab Truman Vodka. It’s a silky vodka made out in Austria that really lends itself to playing well with various flavors. It works great in both savory and sweet Martini riffs, whether I use it as the base for a white cheddar infusion paired with a gherkin brine for a salty Dirty Martini riff or pair it with shochu and a hint of lychee for a spirit-forward Lychee Martini.

José Medina Camacho

Beverage director and co-founder, Adiõs, Birmingham, Ala.

Classic Martini: Haku Japanese Vodka. I prefer a 50/50 split with Dolin dry vermouth, saline, and orange bitters, stirred and served with a lemon twist. I enjoy clean, crisp cocktails that are perfect for either starting or ending an evening.

Dirty Martini: Stolichnaya. It’s an easy, reliable, and consistent choice for a classic dirty preparation.

Taqueria Martini: This recipe features St. George Green Chile Vodka, Casa Mariol Vermut Blanco, and San Marcos pickled pepper brine (specifically from the whole jalapeño cans). It should be stirred, not shaken, and garnished with pickled peppers and carrots. Spicy and savory cocktails are my favorites, and this particular drink pairs beautifully with fried or Southern comfort food.

Conor Bandall

Bar manager, The View, NYC

Classic Martini: I like Ketel One here because it’s clean and crisp without being completely neutral. There’s a subtle citrus character and enough grain presence to stand alongside the vermouth, while still giving you that beautifully clean vodka Martini profile.

Dirty Martini: Belvedere. For a Dirty Martini, I want a vodka with a little more body and structure. Belvedere’s rye base gives it a lovely texture and enough character to stand up to olive brine rather than disappearing behind it.

Sake Martini: Haku’s soft, rounded texture and subtle sweetness from its rice base pair beautifully with a dry sake. In place of dry vermouth, sake amplifies vodka’s character instead of masking it, keeping a crisp, elegant, recognisably Martini-esque drink. Finish it with an expressed lemon.

Jennava Walker

Bar manager, Midnight Rambler, Dallas

Classic Martini: Ketel One brings a softness to the Martini that allows the vermouth to shine while keeping the classic build crisp, clean and balanced.

Dirty Martini: Grey Goose complements our house-blended olive mix beautifully. The vodka still holds its own while allowing the savory, salty flavor of the olives to come through.

Espresso Martini: Because Weber Ranch is an agave-based vodka, it brings the essence of tequila while still working perfectly in an Espresso Martini. We’ve seen growing interest in tequila-based Espresso Martinis in Texas, so it’s also a fun way to introduce guests to an agave-based, Texas-made spirit.

Lucky Preksto

Bar director, Bufón, NYC

Classic Martini: Hans Reisetbauer makes eau de vie, which is fantastic. He also makes a vodka, Axberg, named for the town where you can find his distillery. Incredibly smooth on the palate with a pleasant snap at the finish, Axberg makes a slick 2:1 Martini with a couple dashes of Regan’s.

Dirty Martini: We use Fort Hamilton Fortress Vodka out of Brooklyn for our house Dirty Martini, the Dirty Bufón. It’s a little meatier than the Reisetbauer and it’s got great character.

Reverse Martini: If you want to drink a lot of Martinis, just make them upside down with a 2:1 ratio of vermouth to vodka. Ketel One works great in these low-ABV Martinis. Keep the bitters, serve with olives or a twist, or both!

Keith Larry

Bartender and co-founder, Bar Etienne, NYC

Classic Martini: I tend to prefer Altamura Distilleries Vodka. The ABV is slightly higher at 43 percent, so its overall structure and aroma are enhanced. It’s pretty citrusy, so it’s well complemented by a lemon twist.

Dirty Martini: I would have to choose Haku. It’s a rice-based vodka filtered through bamboo charcoal, and it pairs really well without being overpowered by the brine.

Espresso Martini: I’ll choose Grey Goose, as it has a very velvety character and adapts well to both sweetness and bitterness. I use it for an Espresso Martini riff with toasted pistachios and black sesame.

Carlo Splendorini

Beverage director, Bar Sprezzatura, San Francisco

Classic Martini: I prefer Grey Goose because the French wheat gives it a creamy texture that balances perfectly with Carpano Bianco vermouth and the oil from a lemon twist. The combination is absolutely perfect and gives it a silky mouthfeel like no other when stirred gently for 15 to 20 seconds.

Dirty Martini: I still prefer Grey Goose because the brine from Sicilian Castelvetrano olives is rich and savory, so it pairs even better with the creaminess of the wheat. In this case, my ideal proportion is 2 ounces of vodka to 1 ounce of brine.

Gibson: Now, every place has its own feeling. Let’s say I’m sitting at a great old-school steakhouse — I feel like having a shaken vodka Gibson, ice-cold, no vermouth, with a pickled onion, please. My favorite! Still Grey Goose, which is great for Martinis, in my humble opinion.