THE recent charity premiere of Casino Royale at the Carib Cinema was to feature martinis "shaken, not stirred" before the movie began. What was on offer, however, was vodka mixed with cranberry juice.

That night it was James Bond, not the premiere's martinis, that was shaken and stirred to the point of 007 rolling over in his literary grave in horror.

This travesty of mixology was particularly significant to the readers of Ian Fleming's first work, Casino Royale, where they were first introduced to James Bond's classic tipple. To quote from Chapter 7:
"A dry martini," he said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."
"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's (gin), one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet (vermouth). Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?"

Bond called his unique innovation a Vesper after the beautiful double agent who dies early in the plot. But not from drinking Vespers. Other notable personalities whose favourite libation was a martini include US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who occasionally added fruit juice), Frank Sinatra (who always added attractive women), Ernest Hemingway (who nicknamed his variation "The Montgomery" after the WWII Field-Marshall who liked his odds on the battlefield to be l5 to 1 - "the same ratio as Papa liked his gin to vermouth"), Mae West (who has been credited with the line "I must get out of these wet clothes and into a dry vermouth") and the legendary American comedian W C Fields (who dubbed his double martinis "angel's milk", having one before and one after breakfast).

The traditional martini is made with gin, dry vermouth and either an olive or lemon peel, stirred and not shaken. A stirred martini is obviously not as cold as one shaken over ice. Again, when shaken the gin is "bruised", say the purists, giving it a sharp taste as well as dissolving the vermouth, denying the drink a less oily mouth feel.

It should be mentioned, nevertheless, that in the late '90s researchers at the University of Western Ontario demonstrated that the shaken martini has greater anti-oxidant properties. Thus the Bond variation can apparently combat the onslaught of heart disease, strokes and cataracts while soothing the nerves.

The modern-day martini went through numerous metamorphoses before arriving at its accepted form today. Similarly its origin has had several versions. A rather sweet mix was created l35 years ago by Julio Richelieu in his saloon in Martinez, California, for a passing miner. This historic moment remains the town's claim to fame.

Another possibility surrounds a rifle used by the British Army around the same time. The rifle, made by Martini & Henry, was said to give the same strong kick as the drink. Fast-forward to l9ll and the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York where the bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia mixed half gin, half vermouth and a dash of orange bitters, chilled the drink over ice and strained it into a glass adding an olive.

Of course, gin has been around for much longer than the earliest cocktail concoction. Invented in the mid-l660s by a Dutch doctor who was seeking a medicine to clean blood for kidney disorders, it has subsequently done more harm than good for man's intestines, especially the liver.
The British misunderstood the doctor's invention thinking it a spirit to induce abortion, hence its contemporary description "mother's ruin".

Gin is distilled from grain and primarily flavoured with juniper berries. Dry gin is the most popular of the types of gin used for mixing and is distilled with a collection of flavourings known as botanicals. However, vodka has become the spirit of choice for many these days.

Vodka has been drunk in Eastern Europe for over 700 years and its birthplace was either Russia or Poland or both. It began as a grain-based liquor but as it became popular with the masses, potatoes were employed in home-distilling. Its popularity only spread west (once again made from grain) in the last century. Thanks to its absence of taste and smell, it is produced in countries as far apart as Finland and New Zealand.

New Zealand? Well, the 42 Below brand (named for New Zealand's location below the equator) is about to be acquired by Bacardi, the world's largest spirits company. Politically incorrect Dale James from Auckland has been rocking the US marketplace with some of his Antipodean stunts (its antics at home included holding a "Win a Russian Bride" contest).

Not being able to afford conventional advertising, he has used gimmicks like sending 42 Below crews to shovel snow away from the doorways of New York nightclubs after which they handed out shots of the ultra-premium vodka to shivering bouncers. Dale was briefly charged by the police for drinking in the street. Although hugely disappointed when the charges were dropped, his ploy gained maximum publicity and the orders began rolling in. According to Dale, he's out to convince drinkers they're stumbling on the edgiest new thing before anyone else.

That's the kind of thing James Bond might have expected when he introduced the world to the Vesper and the "shaken, not stirred" martini. But really, keep the cranberry juice for wellness.

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS

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