National Martini Day Is a Good Time to Get Your Bond On
By David Pegram
June 19th is National Martini Day, and though not everyone drinks martinis, it is certainly a good day to try one and “get your Bond on.”
We Bond fans know that our favorite secret agent’s drink of choice is a martini, shaken, not stirred. However, few might know that ordering a martini “shaken” is not generally preferred. Why? As The Huffington Post so clearly described in 2012, to shake a drink is make it foamy, something to avoid with a martini:
"Conventional wisdom dictates that only cocktails with juices, dairy or egg whites should be shaken. This aerates the drink, creating a pleasing foam head on favorites like daiquiris, margaritas or mai-tais."
It doesn’t matter if Bond is ordering a martini with vodka or gin, same rule applies: a martini is always stirred.
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So why would James Bond ever order a shaken martini? Well, it not only sounds cool, but it also makes for a cooler drink–literally. In a 2015 article on the martini, Mother Jones quoted mixologist Dave Arnold explaining it this way:
"When you shake a drink, it will get colder—and thus more diluted—than it would be after stirring."
But for those not too keen on ordering traditional martinis at all, they can still get it on the Bond experience. One alternative to the martini is the “Vesper” or “Vesper martini,” a drink that Bond made up in Casino Royale that has turned into a bit of a mainstay. In Ian Fleming’s novel, Bond ordered it this way: “Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel.”
Easy enough? yes, except, Kina Lillet (as a name) doesn’t exist anymore.
The website James Bond Lifestyle provides a good explanation for how to mix your own Vesper today: simply use Lillet (still available) instead of Kina Lillet. If that isn’t available, you can always use another dry vermouth. But keep to the measures.
And don’t forget the lemon peel.