Shaken Not Stirred-The James Bond Martini
I never thought of myself as a Martini drinker. Martinis are ok, but I never developed a taste for them. I tried assorted flavors over the years but never became a Martini fan.
In the past couple of years, I had a friend who loved Martinis. I decided that the next time he came over to our house I would endeavor to make him the perfect Martini. My wife, like this friend, likes Martinis and she too wanted me to make Martinis. So, who could argue especially when your wife looks at you with her big brown eyes and says “please.”
I started researching how to make Martinis. Of course, there are different recipes, but I focused on the classic Vodka Martini. As I did my research, I thought about James Bond (Sean Connery is the coolest Bond ever). I then remember the classic quote from James Bond, who drank Martinis, on how he liked his Martins:
In my research I found a classic YouTube video on making the James Bond Martini. I watched the video to learn how to make a Martini, a James Bond Martini.
After experimenting with Martinis that are stirred vs. shaken, I concluded that the video was right, there are differences between shaken and stirred Martinis. I prefer shaken.
I use the Martini shaker (metal and pictured above) to shake the Martini until a good coating of frost appears on the outside of the container. The shaking makes the Martini ice cold and when poured from the shaker there are small ice crystals in the Martini.
The cold makes all the difference in the world when it comes to a great Martini.
I am now a Martini fan. I like them shaken not stirred even though I am no James Bond.
Stuart James
Here is the YouTube video: