Purists say a martini should be stirred, not shaken, because shaking it dilutes it too much and leaves ice chips in the drink. I like the icy bite from a shaken martini, while a stirred one is more silky and smooth.

A certain character's catchphrase comes to mind in response: "Shaken, not stirred"

David

Which is why it's his catchphrase: it shows he's different and bucks the common wisdom, implying a certain sophistication.

I had never really thought about it, but this is a perfect description for the difference.

I suspect the reason purists preferred stirred is that you can really taste the liquor, which is more difficult when it's near freezing. Considering that the original martini was gin, and the only correct martini in the UK is gin, shaking a martini so that it's ice cold would hide the gin. That's why James Bond had an odd order - why would a Brit hide the gin :)? With the newer vodka martini, shaken makes a lot more sense, as vodka is so often served chilled or even ice cold.

And come to think of it, Bond always ordered a vodka martini so shaken makes sense.

My dad was a huge Bond fan. We had all the books and every time the movies were on TV he watched, so I used to know a lot of those movies by heart. I believe, at least in the first few movies, he actually ordered a Vesper which is a mix of gin and vodka, and uses Lillet instead of Vermouth. Being a kid, you don't really understand all that, but about a year ago we had some friends over and when I offered martinis or wine to start, the guy asked if I could make a Vesper. I recall just staring at him for a few seconds trying to process it...and then he told me what it was (the Bond drink!). I didn't have Lillet, but we did the vodka/gin mix with Vermouth (shaken not stirred) and it was still tasty.

I actually made a Vesper the other day since I do have a bottle of Lillet (bought it to make Corpse Reviver #2s). I didn't much care for the Vesper...it was aggressively boozy.

I don't remember James Bond ever ordering a Vesper in any of the movies but the drink was certainly mentioned and described in one or more of Fleming's Bond novels.

Had a Vesper once when a friend threw a Bond movie watching party. Fun for the novelty and authenticity of it all but I think I will just stick with vodka martinis when I'm in a martini kind of mood.

That's probably where I learned about it, I read most of the books when I was younger. That was probably 35-40 years ago so the memories are a little fuzzy! The books and movies get mixed up a little in my mind I suppose.

He orders it in the Casino Royale reboot:

I've made it a few times after Sir Sean's passing. I definitely have to up the amount of Lillet (and lower the other two more potent potables) in order to make it mildly enjoyable.

This is also why I'm not a British secret agent.

So you say.

The James Bond "shaken not stirred" thing was an in-joke. Ian Fleming loved his traditional martinis at the Dukes Hotel in London and would never approve of such a thing.

Incidentally, the reason to stir and not shake is not about temperature, but about dilution. Gin watered down with little flecks of ice is just not a good drink. Gin served straight out of the freezer with just a drop of vermouth meanwhile is actually rather nice.