Message 9945 of 39188 in General Discussion

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> I am curious as to know what's the difference/reason for a martini 
> being ordered either "shaken" or "stirred"?
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This is an often discussed, and greatly misunderstood topic. It often 
degenerates into a description, and then a definition, of "bruising" the gin. 
And how that is an undesireable outcome, and thus why the Martini should be 
"stirred". However, the "brusing" issue is just a red herring, and essentially 
just represents a quaint turn of phrase.

But that doesn't mean there isn't an answer to the question. I cover this 
issue in my article "Shaken or Stirred", which you can read at:

http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/ShakenOrStirred.html

But in a nutshell here are the key facts to consider:

1. The purpose of both shaking and stiring is to "chill" the drink.

2. Shaking chills the drink faster then stirring, but due to the violent 
nature of the process, it also dilutes it faster as well.

3. Stirring can chill the drink just as much as shaking, but it takes longer.

4. Shaking a drink introduces more "air bubbles" then stirring

So, what I deduce from the above, is:

A) A "stirred" Martini will have more visual appeal then a "shaken" one, 
because it will pour into the glass crystal clear.

B) A cocktail recipe that includes lemon juice, or other ingredients with an 
"opaque" characteristic can be easily shaken, since the "air bubbles" won't 
show up in them.

Thus a Martini is properly "stirred" and not "shaken". Forget what James Bond 
says.

-Robert
 www.DrinkBoy.com