Shaken? Stirred? Absurd?
James Bond: “Vodka martini.”
Bartender: “Shaken or stirred?”
James Bond: “Does it look like I give a damn?”
Casino Royale, 2006
Cheers to the latest James Bond movie (I just watched it on DVD), especially the new dark and edgy tone, and its welcome lack of goofy one-liners, cartoon stunts and throwaway bimbos. What also caught my attention was 007’s loose cannon inexperience as a secret agent. (Casino Royale was Ian Fleming’s first Bond book, and Bond’ first mission.) In the movie, greenhorn Bond makes a lot of mistakes – gets the %$&* kicked out of him, loses the girl, and apparently doesn’t even know how to order a martini yet (see above).
Which got me to thinking about this whole “Shaken, not stirred” martini catchphrase that’s developed over the last couple of decades. Does it really make a difference? If you line up two martinis side-by-side – one shaken, one stirred, both from the same recipe – how many people could honestly pick or prefer one over the other?
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I gathered two of my drunken friends and we put it to the test. Using the classic “dry vodka martini” recipe from later Bond appearances, I shook one, stirred the other, and served.
“I thought we were drinking beer,” said my old college roommate. Some things never change.
“The shaken martini is definitely colder,” the other, more successful friend, said. This, we attributed to the ice swishing around in the shaker before I served.
“The stirred martini tastes more diluted, if that makes sense,” the old roommate said. I had mixed both martinis the same strength, but we all agreed that the stirred martini had a weaker, vermouthy taste to it.
“These crackers are good,” said the old roommate, referring to the saltine palette-cleansers I’d put out for between sips. “They’re salty, but not in a starchy, dehydrating way like pretzels can be.” I made a mental note never to invite him back for serious drink studies like this.
“I like the shaken martini best,” said the successful friend, interrupting the doofus. “It’s very cold, like a martini should be, and it tastes more completely mixed.”
We all three agreed that the shaken martini tasted better, though it wasn’t a night-and-day conclusion. It took several swigs, back and forth, and some discussion before we could put a finger on the differences between the two.
If anyone out there can put some science behind our findings, I’d love to hear why one is better than the other, or if anyone prefers their martinis “stirred, not shaken.” And if you have any thoughts about saltine crackers, please keep them to yourself.
Written by Trevor Pitchford