Did You Know??

James Bond’s first Cocktail Not a Martini, but the Americano from Casino Royale: The first of the many Bond martini references (the Vesper) begins in the same book, but after the Americano

James Bond’s first Martini: Author Ian Fleming gives a recipe for Bond’s preferred libation in his first book, Casino Royale (1953): chapter 7:

“A dry martini,” he said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.” “Oui, monsieur.” “Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, and then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?”

"SHAKEN vs STIRRED

• A shaken martini is usually colder than one stirred, since the ice has had a chance to cool most of the drink.
• "Bruising" is a result of shaking a martini which dissolves air into the mix. This bruising makes some martini drinkers complain about their martini tasting too "sharp.
• A shaken martini will more completely dissolve the vermouth, giving a less oily mouth feel to the drink.

Bottom line Even though few martini drinkers can tell the difference, you should:

• Shake your Vodka Martini Why: For a vodka martini to be good it needs to be cold. Very Cold! Therefore, shaking a vodka martini makes it colder.
• Stir your Gin martini: A gin, or traditional, martini benefits by being smooth and one can enjoy the delicate flavors of the individual gin.