In all honesty, the right way to make a martini, shaken or stirred, is whichever way you prefer making or drinking it.

We polled on Twitter whether people liked their Martini’s shaken or stirred:

And got an overwhelming “shaken” verdict.

James Bond is noted for ordering a “vodka Martini, shaken not stirred”, but there is a general recommendation as to whether a Martini should be shaken or stirred.

The rough rule of thumb is that a Martini just using alcohol should be stirred and one using other ingredients, such as fruit juice or simple syrup, should be shaken. This is so that the other ingredients are fully mixed in which is easier when shaking.

So, according to this rule of thumb, suave as he looks, Bond should be asking for his vodka Martini stirred, not shaken.

However, going back to the opening sentence, the “right” way of making a Martini is whichever way you prefer to make and drink it.