James Bond requested that his Martini be "shaken not stirred"? Would it make any difference?
- Shaking rather than stirring a Martini has two principal effects. One: the rapid movement of ice in shaker melts more of the ice than gentle stirring, thereby diluting the drink. Two: the drink is likely to be cloudy rather than clear. For Martini drinkers, both effects are undesirable.
Richard Ehrlich, London NW5.
- James Bond's famous tag line is actually a reversal of the original quote from Fleming's books. The author used the line "stirred not shaken" to add yet another facet to Bond's cool image. If a Martini is shaken, the alcohol becomes "bruised", which detracts from the desired flavour - something which agent 007 would of course immediately notice and be suitably repulsed by. It was decided that the line "shaken not stirred" sounded much better, however, and so was adopted for the film - thus creating a character with a good collection of sound bytes, but a slightly odd taste in drinks.
Bob French, Clifton, York.
- Bob French says that this catchphrase appeared originally in Fleming's books as "stirred not shaken"; however, according to Brewer's Quotations, the phrase "shaken and not stirred" occurs both in Diamonds Are Forever and Dr No. In both novels, the phrase is applied to Martinis, but in Casino Royale, the first of the series, Bond stipulates of a co*cktail of his own invention, "Shake it very well until it's ice-cold," which may be the origin of the phrase.
Oliver Westmoreland, London SW11.
- Shaking rather than stirring one''s Martini has the effect of releasing higher levels of oxidants (or was it anti-oxidants?) in the vermouth, which can help prevent heart disease...if drunk in moderation, of course.
Addy Akram, Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia
- I agree with the first answer about the melting of the ice and dilution of the drink; however, I always thought he ordered them that way so as to stay more sober than his drinking partner, and thereby remain more alert.
Alfie, Sydney Australia
