"For decades, cocktail connoisseurs have taken aim at James Bond's most famous order, their objections falling into two camps. First, shaking a martini is seen as a rookie mistake: it clouds the spirit, bruises the botanicals, and leaves you with a drink light on flavor and heavy on regret. Second, why reach for neutral vodka when a martini, being so spirit-forward, was made for the juniper bite of gin? Clearly, they insist, 007 had no idea what he was doing."
"And with vodka, shaking is no sin: it doesn't have delicate botanicals to "bruise," and a little dilution can actually make the drink smoother and more approachable. Second, vodka shines when it's ice-cold, and shaking a cocktail chills it faster and more thoroughly than a gentle stir ever could. What's more, Bond's order may actually have been healthier, too. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that shaken martinis had stronger antioxidant properties than stirred ones, making them better at neutralizing harmful compounds."
Cocktail purists criticize shaken martinis and vodka substitutions, citing cloudy spirits and "bruised" botanicals and preferring gin's juniper bite for spirit-forward martinis. Bond's on-screen and literary preference leaned toward vodka, with novels citing 19 vodka martinis versus 16 gin ones. Vodka lacks delicate botanicals, so shaking does not bruise it; dilution can smooth flavor and shaking chills a drink faster and more thoroughly than stirring. A British Medical Journal study reported stronger antioxidant properties in shaken martinis compared with stirred ones. Bond also popularized the Vesper Martini, a mix of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet, similar to vermouth.
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