(Dry) Martini - the James Bond way
According to DrinksMixer, a dry martini takes 1 2/3 oz gin, 1/3 oz dry vermouth, and an olive. The quality, of course, depends on the brands you choose. There is hardly any news in that.
Being a James Bond fan, I browsed the internet to see if it actually is a dry martini, he drinks. No. It is a vodka martini - from the first book (Casino Royale, 1953): “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.”
The reason why it is shaken, and not stirred as the normal dry martini, is to promote the gin flavour, and to get it very, very cold. In a dry martini, bruising the gin (getting the flavour out) is strictly prohibited. Also, the smoothness of the vermouth is preserved when not shaking.
One final word: James Bond’s drink is NOT a dry martini, but a vodka martini (I think I already mentioned it). It is hardly ever confused, except by James Bond himself, who orders a dry martini, and specifies the above mentioned recipe. I guess you have to be James Bond in order to be able to let that one slip.
Read much more about the stuff behind the James Bond (dry) martini at StraightDope.
