Martini

 Although James Bond is known, primarily through the films, as an aficionado, nay, a devotee to the Vodka "Martini", "shaken not stirred, in the books and even in the films, he drinks Martinis (a cocktail based on gin) as well as "Vodka Martinis".

In recent years, the trend has been to make a Martini as "dry" as possible; meaning: to use as little vermouth as possible.  This will certainly get you drunk quicker but will also produce a flavorless product.  The result is not improved with shaking, which aerates the beverage to such a degree that each sip of it, while still cold, yields a lighter, less flavorful experience.  This is great, if what you're after is a bland drink.  This is vodkas sweet spot: lack of flavor- each new brand guarantees a more pure and less flavorful product than the previously leading product. And fear of flavor is a very modern thing.

But I digress.  The Martini is not about vodka and it is not about lack of flavor. Quite the opposite, in fact.  The Martini is all about flavor, starting with the gin; a distilled spirit similar to vodka (at least in it's modern incarnation) but different in that the grain spirits that make it up are distilled with juniper, citrus elements and other herbal ingredients. And, of course, vermouth.  Dry vermouth.  Not the long-gone-rancid vinegar-like concoction on top of your dear old aunt Mildred's side bar but vermouth; a slightly sweet, slightly dry, slightly dry, herbal bitter of great complexity, beauty and delicacy based on a white wine and formulated with other secret herbs, across the world (initially France).

Today, a Martini is any cocktail served up in a triangular glass, regardless of the ingredients.  In the 1980's and '90's, it was a triangular glass, rinsed with the smallest amount of vermouth possible and filled to the brim with gin or vodka, shaken, not stirred, as the most famous super spy would demand.

Love 007 as we do, it hurts us more than it would him to say this but... James Bond was wrong.  Shaking a spirits-based drink isn't sacrilege, it's just ill-advised; you waste what's best about the drink and, paradoxically, don't get something as cold as you might like, nor do you get the dilution necessary to let the flavors in through the burn of the alcohol.

Okay, enough pontificating.  Let's get to the drink, shall we?

In the 1950's, when the majority of the stories were written, the Martini was quite a bit wetter than what would pass muster today.  And that's good.  It makes for less macho, less painful drink but more delicious and sophisticated experience.

According to Doctor Cocktail in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, the standard 1950's Martini cocktail was:

• 2.5 parts dry gin
• 1 part dry vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters 
• with an olive or a twist of lemon
• stirred with ice for at least 30 seconds
• and served up or on the rocks

That's it.  And it's a fine drink. But nowhere in Ian Fleming's writings does he make mention of orange bitters, so we may assume what James Bond is drinking is akin to what the Savoy was serving at the time:

• 2/3 gin 
• 1/3 french (dry) vermouth

Shaken well and strained into a cocktail glass.

Personally, I prefer a 5 to 1 ratio (2.5 oz. gin to .5 oz. vermouth) with no bitters (as they there is plenty going on between the gin and vermouth) and an olive or two but the wetter version as documented in The Savoy Cocktail Book, is lovely and should be tried, if only for historical accuracy.  Whatever you do, do not cheat on the vermouth, either in quantity or quality. You will want to use fresh vermouth, putting it in the refrigerator when you're done. Vermouth is just fortified wine and will spoil like wine if left open at room temperature for more than a day or so.

Broker's Gin and Plymouth Gin both advertise themselves as being pure London Dry Gins and both are very fine products.  For American palettes (that is to say, in the U.S.), I prefer Broker's and enjoy Tanqueray Ten, particularly with Dolin vermouth. Is this what James Bond enjoyed? No. He drank Booth's House of Lord's gin, which is no longer available and he never had the brilliant Dolin products.  Sad for 007.  A company called Booth's still makes gin and you are welcome to give it a try. Please write in with your opinions.  Should we do the same, we will publish an update.

In the books, James Bond enjoyed a Martini (that is to say, NOT a vodka "martini") in Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, From Russia with Love and Thunderball... almost always with his eating/drinking buddy Felix Leiter.

I suggest you enjoy one with a beautiful woman or a good friend who will have your back, come what may.  Ideally, your friend will look great in a sequined dress, fitting both categories.

Enjoy!