TikTok has given us some seriously questionable recipes in the past (hello vodka butter and sushi waffles) but we’ve finally found one we can get behind –  dirty martini pasta. Trust us – it’s worth a shot (or rather a splash).  

The dish is exactly what it sounds like, a beautifully briny pasta flavoured with garlic, olives, parsley and lemon, with a mix of gin and vermouth for complexity and kick.

The dish is best served with orecchiette but this not-quite-puttanesca, not-quite-aglio-e-olio recipe is pretty forgiving so don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t made it to a specialty store. Also don’t feel compelled to bust out the good gin; as with a pasta alla vodka sauce, the purpose of the gin is, yes, to impart some herbaceous flavour but more importantly to ensure a smooth and cohesive texture in the sauce.

Related story: Matt Preston names the five best pasta bakes of all time

The addition of dry vermouth amplifies the herbal qualities of the gin and the fact that many of the ingredients required are pantry staples is a total bonus. A final flourish of pangrattato using panko crumbs, olive oil and parmesan to serve and this briny, savoury dish is mid-week music to our ears.

Find our recipe for the dirty martini pasta here.