When it comes to the shaken martini it seems that all roads lead to Bond, James Bond. The statement “shaken, not stirred” is imbued with Bond’s innate elegance and authority – so much so that we often forget to examine the preference at it’s most basic level - what’s the big difference?
If you want an impassioned answer, ask a dedicated gin drinker. Before Mr. Bond, a martini was almost always a gin martini. Bond himself was a bridge between the classic gin martini and the modern popularity of vodka martinis. In fact, the cocktail attributed to Bond (know as a Vesper martini) contained both gin and vodka. The importance of this difference becomes apparent when considering the ingredients from which these spirits are produced. At the time Ian Fleming was chronicling Bond’s daring adventures, vodka was more likely to be made from potatoes than grain. Potato vodka, as it was distilled at that time, was oilier than its grain counterparts. Vodka was often shaken in order to disperse the oils throughout the cocktail, creating a lighter and more consistent texture.
Gin, on the other hand, has historically been a distillate of grain. Gin also gains much of its character from the infusion of botanical ingredients. These two factors combine to create a spirit of a more delicate nature than the potato vodka of Bond’s era. A true gin aficionado will tell you that shaking a gin martini “bruises” the alcohol. This term refers to the oxidization that occurs as a result of aeration. Many people feel that this process affects a gin’s botanical components, resulting in a martini that is more bitter than its stirred equivalent. For this reason gin loyalists will often prefer their martini stirred so as to maintain the delicate flavor balance of the spirit.
Beyond the somewhat subjective realm of flavor, there are three basic differences between a martini that is shaken and a martini that is stirred. The first of these is temperature – shaken martinis are almost always colder than stirred martinis due to the fact that shaking exposes a greater surface area of the liquid to the ice. The second difference is in the texture of the martinis. A stirred a martini has a texture similar to cream, both heavy and smooth. Shaking a cocktail introduces air, creating a lighter somewhat frothy character. The turbulence of shaking also chips the ice, resulting in the presence of tiny ice crystals. The final distinction between shaking martinis and stirring martinis is their resulting concentrations. The proper technique for stirring is controlled and careful, the goal being to disturbs the ice as little as possible. By contrast, shaking is celebrated for its vigor. This aggressive agitation breaks down the ice, thereby introducing more water into the mixture. Thus, a stirred martini’s concentration is more potent than that of a shaken martini.
Mr. Bond and all facts aside, the true fascination of the martini is as an expression of the individual. Martinis’ draw strong personalities, those who appreciate a custom tailored cocktail. There is a certain power to martini terms, as though the instructions themselves were an incantation of self. As a bartender there is a special sense of duty when a drink is ordered in this manner, a need to get it right. Be it of gin or of vodka, shaken or stirred, wet or dry, your martini is in good hands at Bite.
