Want to know how to make a vodka martini?

Brosnan_fanBrosnan_fan Sydney, AustraliaPosts: 521MI6 Agent
I just thought I'd share with you the recipe for the vodka martini - shaken, not stirred - which I found on the CR site of the Internet Movie Database:

The recipe for James Bond's legendary favorite drink, "The vodka martini, shaken, not stirred", first appeared in chapter seven of the "Casino Royale" novel. It reads: "Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet [a brand of vermouth]. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel." Thus the recipe is six parts gin, two parts vodka, and one part Lillet blanc, to be shaken (not stirred) in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice, then poured into a chilled cocktail glass, then garnished with a twist of lemon. The shaking is important since the drink contains vodka. A traditional martini made with gin alone should be stirred so as not to "bruise" the gin (get air in it) nor to allow the vermouth to dissolve into the drink too much; this leaves the drink smooth and doesn't mask the subtle flavors of the gin and vermouth. A vodka martini has to be ice cold (hence the shaking over the ice) and benefits from the blending of the flavors.


So there you have it, fellow Bond fans. {[]
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."

Comments

  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    I am a non-drinker out of personal choosing, but I must confess that, as a Bond fan, I have always wanted to try Bond's infamous drink to further the whole "Bond Experience."

    Now I know I am amongst some of the greatest partiers across the world over, so I am sure there is at least one of you who has tried it. I am rather curious as to your ruling after drinking one.

    Now I plan to stay strong to my vow of alcohol celibacy, but if there ever should be a great gathering of the world's Bond fans, if I should ever be in the company of you fine people of AJB, then count me in for one. You may fill my glass. {[]
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • Asp9mmAsp9mm Over the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,483MI6 Agent
    edited September 2006
    The concoction quoted above is OK, although stupidly large, quite crazy and expensive. I prefer a regular vodka martini (Vodkatini) with a twist. The best way to make this is to pour three measures of ice cold vodka into a shaker full of ice, add just a couple of drops of vermouth. Then take a small amount of lemon peel, smearing it around the glass edge before chucking it in the drink. Perfect.

    Most London barmen think that there should be a very small amount of vermouth, and just letting the sun shine on the mix through a bottle of vermouth does the trick. Not literally, but you get the idea.
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  • Walther 00Walther 00 Posts: 31MI6 Agent
    I've had several of these drinks at home and out at bars. It's a strong drink and you are essentially getting 6 or 7 shots in one glass.

    My advise, don't drink several quickly, lol.

    The way to drink them, in my opinion, is to drain the first one and then sip the second and so on. That way you don't drink them quickly because you have saked your thirst, and for some reason you only want to sip susequent ones!

    Still, that's one strong drink. No wonder his liver not in to good condition after a lifetime of those!

    Regards,

    Walther
  • Walther 00Walther 00 Posts: 31MI6 Agent
    I've had several of these drinks at home and out at bars. It's a strong drink and you are essentially getting 6 or 7 shots in one glass.

    My advise, don't drink several quickly, lol.

    The way to drink them, in my opinion, is to drain the first one and then sip the second and so on. That way you don't drink them quickly because you have saked your thirst, and for some reason you only want to sip susequent ones!

    Still, that's one strong drink. No wonder his liver not in to good condition after a lifetime of those!

    Regards,

    Walther
  • PoorMansJBPoorMansJB USAPosts: 1,198MI6 Agent
    Slightly off-topic but here goes ...

    My grandparents entertained frequently and when their estate was broken-up, there was quite alot of unopened liquor in storage. As a result, I have a number of bottles of Heublein's "Dry Martini." Heublein's was popular in the '50s and '60s; no idea if it's even still available. Clearly this is pre-mixed (label notes only distilled content is gin ... what is vermouth, anyway?).

    At any rate, these have got to be to 30 or even 40 years old and have been subject to some extremes in temperature (though show no sign of evaporation as do some other spirits that were stored under the same conditions). Anyone have any idea if this stuff is still good? I would think distilled alcohol can't go bad like wine or beer but this is a mix. If nothing else, can keep a bottle on display in the Bond room ....
  • JBB007JBB007 Posts: 5MI6 Agent
    edited October 2006
    I agree with Asp's recipe on this subject. As a fella who likes a few martinis when he gets home, I do the following.

    About 5oz of vodka
    1 oz of dry vermouth

    Pour it into your martini glass to measure it out appropriately. Then pour the contents of the glass into a shaker with four or five large ice cubes. Shake well and strain into the glass. Garnish with a lemon peel. Three of those get you where you need to go. Bottoms up ;-)
  • Brosnan_fanBrosnan_fan Sydney, AustraliaPosts: 521MI6 Agent
    Fish1941 wrote:
    If you really want to make a good vodka martini, stir it, don't shake it.

    But then you wouldn't experience the drink the way James Bond does. :)) ;)
    "Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
  • JCSuperstarJCSuperstar Posts: 42MI6 Agent
    Aside for the fact that in CR, Bond mixed that drink of gin, vodka and vermouth to get Le Chiffre off his block, no one would drink that except to get drunk. So, it would be only stating the obvious to note it's potent, unreal like charm. I would have chosen absinthe to get Le Chiffre numb.

    And so, before choosing my current way of life, I used to enjoy a nice tipple now and then, and I preferred the James Bond Martini with a twist of (eek ;) ) orange peel! I love oranges and cannot pass over anything orange flavoured, which is probably why I used to drink Grand Marnier like it was going out of style. But try it with a pinch of orange in it, maybe two or three drops. Somebody out there will like it other than myself.
  • NightshooterNightshooter In bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
    Do barmen know the Vesper by name, or do you have to spell it out for them? Or will they after the movie comes out?
    Not that I'll try it for years. :v
  • Moonraker 5Moonraker 5 Ayrshire, ScotlandPosts: 1,821MI6 Agent
    Tee Hee wrote:
    Now I know I am amongst some of the greatest partiers across the world over, so I am sure there is at least one of you who has tried it. I am rather curious as to your ruling after drinking one.
    Other than malt whiskey, which is ironic coming from a Scotsman, there's no alcoholic drink that I can't physically let pass my lips. However, much as I'm loathe to admit it, a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) comes damn close to being one. Pleasant it is not. Potent, it is. Very. I've never had more than three in a row, but it is rocket fuel. (And that's from someone who can put back a fair amount of drink and still be fairly compos mentis.)
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