Perfect vodka martini tastes best when it is stirred with a thin piece of wood rather than a long metal cocktail spoon, researchers say. The revelation was reported in the science magazine New Scientist, which asked its readers for the best way to serve the drink.
The magazine concluded that metal spoons warm up a drink too much because metal is a good heat conductor, the Telegraph reported.
It said believed that Bond’s gadget expert Q would suggest his drink be stirred with either a wooden spoon, a wooden coffee stirrer or, if improvising like 007, even a pencil.
Apparently, the original Iam Fleming books called for Bond’s martini to be shaken, not stirred because vodka was initially made from potatoes, which left an oily aftertaste if not shaken vigorously.
Cocktail afficionados have asserted that vodka is a far inferior substitute for the classic martini spirit - gin. The most commonly accepted method is to rinse a chilled glass with vermouth before filling it with ice-cold gin, which has been gently stirred.
The Science magazine insisted that compared to a smaller one, a stirrer with a bigger mass will have a bigger potential effect on the temperature of the drink.
{{/usCountry}}The Science magazine insisted that compared to a smaller one, a stirrer with a bigger mass will have a bigger potential effect on the temperature of the drink.
{{/usCountry}}A reader from Aberystwyth, Wales, said that this may be why bar spoons are long and thin and that using a tablespoon to stir a vodka martini would certainly raise its temperature.
“Q’s recommendation, were he to bother with such trivia, would be to use a wooden spoon, ideally one of the long thin paddles sometimes provided with takeaway hot drinks,” he said.