Stirred, Not Shaken

As I’ve mentioned before, I enjoy a good Manhattan cocktail.  I’ve learned a few things over the years.  I prefer them ‘up’, not ‘neat’ (that was a dumb, and embarrassing mistake - more than once).  ‘Up’ means you want it cold, but not served on ice (rocks).  ‘Neat’ means you want it at room temperature - which is how I prefer my whiskey, but not my cocktails.  I once ordered a Manhattan ‘neat’ and the bartender served it to me at room temp.  Then there was a discussion of the difference between the two.  The longer he went on, the dumber I felt (the Manhattan he made helped ease the pain). After asking about my rye options (most bars have Bulleit Rye which is fine), I’m ready to order:  “Rye, Angostura bitters, up.” - Classic.

A good bartender is really a special person.  They can serve you everything on their cocktail menu and much more.  There are so many different cocktails now, that only the best can remember them all.  It is an art.  I appreciate a student working his or her way through college at the local Ruby Tuesday’s, and I’m always impressed with professional bartenders.  They’re in their forties, fifties or sixties and have been doing it right for years.  They make the best cocktails, know the best jokes, and can keep track of your tab which is critical if you want your local bar to stay in business.  

Rather than go out for a full meal, the missus and I will eat at home and go out later for cocktails and appetizers.  If you’re looking for a great place for that, I highly recommend Ruth’s Chris in Crystal City.  It has beautiful views that overlook Reagan National Airport and they have amazing appetizers.  The bartenders are as I described - very professional.  

I believe that was where I first saw the bartender fill a shaker with ice and my Manhattan…and stir it.  It took longer than shaking, but I remained patient.  Being the working class antediluvian that I am, I had to ask, “Why did you stir it and not shake it?”  Everyone knows that the best cocktails are “shaken, not stirred”.  “You’ll bruise the rye.” the bartender replied.  “You never shake a Manhattan or Martini.  You always stir them”.  Huh.  Never heard that.  He’s a professional.  I’ll learn from the master.  Since then, when I order a Manhattan, I pay attention.  Sure, I probably couldn’t tell the difference, but it’s not about me.  It’s about the bartender and the time and attention that he or she pays to my drink and the knowledge that this person has about the proper way to do things.  

Just tonight we decided to go out for cocktails and appetizers.  We went to a very nice restaurant in Springfield that we like.  While it’s not a high-end place, it’s certainly nicer and more expensive than the usual mall restaurants.  I saw my bartender shake my Manhattan!  I was aghast!   However, let’s face it, that’s not the time to pound on the bar and scream, “Good God, Man!  What are you doing?!” I save that for the who guy orders a Jack…and Diet Coke. (I kid. I kid).  Anyway.  He shook it.  I drank it.  Ienjoyed it, and tipped him properly all the same.  

Where did James Bond get the whole, “Shaken, not stirred” nonsense?  I wondered if Google had a clue and as it turns out, it does.  After a search that took .0007920 seconds I came upon, “James Bond: The REAL Reason 007 Orders His Martinis 'Shaken, Not Stirred'” by author, Sarah Lofgren.  She discusses the pros/cons of shaking vs stirring and links to an interesting  Reddit thread:

TheVileFlibertigibet thinks, “Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the James Bond franchise knows he drinks his Martinis "shaken, not stirred". However, Martinis are typically made stirred, as shaking the drink causes the ice to break up, melt quicker and water down the Martini. As a result many Martini drinkers scoff at Bond's order as he is ordering a weaker drink and being pretentious about it.

However, I theorise that Bond is ordering a weak drink deliberately so as to make it seem like he is drinking more than he actually is. This is because Bond is almost always on duty in both the books and films and needs to keep his wits about him, either to defend himself or not blab all his secrets to the bartender, but sometimes he will need to drink to maintain his cover. As a compromise he orders a weaker drink to give the appearance that he is more inebriated than he actually is, thus maintaining his cover and gaining an element of surprise over his targets.

As for why he still orders them when he seemingly isn't working there are 2 possible answers for this. 1. Bond views himself as always on duty and so always orders the weaker drink, or 2. He just orders it out of habit, or genuinely enjoys the weaker drink.”

That’s all very interesting and explains why a fictional character would want his cocktail like that, but where did it come from?  As it turns out, that's how Bond author, Ian Flemming, preferred his Martinis - shaken, not stirred.  So there you have it.  Sometimes the simple answer is the right answer.