Shaken, Not Stirred

The evening skyline of Los Angeles is most enchanting when viewed from the cliffs of Pacific Palisades; especially when in the company of an alluring woman. Let’s call her Jenny to protect the name of the guilty.
“Shall I make us a batch of martinis?” She queried with a fervent smile.
“Yes, of course,” I replied with a smile.
“Gin or vodka?” She asked.
“Vodka, always vodka,” I replied matter of factly.
“Don’t tell me, shaken not stirred,”
“Shaken.”
“But won’t that bruise the vodka?” Her tone was most indignant.

What then is the difference from the gin versus the vodka martini? Gin martinis should only be lightly stirred and with a wooden spoon. Shaking gin can release oils that taint the flavor of the cocktail. With vodka, there is no such release of oils in fact many mixologists recommend shaking cocktails made with vodka. Incidentally, the correct name for a vodka martini is a Bradford.

Keeping all of these factors in mind, is James Bond guilty of a major faux pas? Obviously the traditionalist would say that the suave and debonair secret agent does not know his cocktails. They would argue that if he did follow societal dictates, a martini is made with gin, and only gin.

Think back to Casino Royale when Bond first orders a martini.
“A dry martini, in a deep champagne goblet. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it is ice cold, then add a thin slice of lemon peel.”

Did 007 just break all the rules of making a martini, or did he create a new cocktail which came to be known as the “Vesper?” It seems that the latter is arguably the case since several of the revelers followed suite, and ordered the same drink.

This the leads us to another interesting question, why does Bond prefer his cocktail to be served ice – cold?
In Eastern Europe it is popular to serve vodka cold. This is because an inferior Vodka can have a bit of extra oil, especially those that have been distilled from potatoes. During Soviet times the market was flooded by a rash of inferior vodkas. Therefore it is only logical that shaking such cocktails as a martini would aid in the ridding of any negative taste. Tsar Peter the Great once said, “Potato vodka is for peasants. Grain vodka is for Tsars.”

Another question arises. Would the world wise agent 007 drink an inferior brand of vodka? Most likely not. Why then would a connoisseur such as James Bond have a penchant for his martinis to be served ice – cold? Who knows? One can only speculate. Perhaps a taste for chilled cocktails is a habit he learned on one of his many trips to the United States.

Well friends, it is now the cocktail hour and time for a martini. I prefer mine with 6 parts vodka, a splash of dry vermouth, shaken very well, and served with a thin slice of lemon peel.
But what happened with Jenny? “That my friends is another story….”