8 Iconic Cocktail Debates

You slide onto the barstool and order your drink -- a martini, let's say. The request sounds simple enough, right?

But anyone who calls this drink their own knows there's a follow-up question. In this case, perhaps even two. Vodka or gin? Shaken or stirred?

Whether you like it or not, how you answer says a lot about you -- positions are put to light, allies and enemies are formed. This goes beyond the vodka-gin martini debate, there are others that cause just as much controversy.

We're talking iconic cocktail debates here, and no, not the origins of the cocktail, but rather the ingredients that define it.

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Martini: Gin or Vodka?

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Blame James Bond for this one. Apparently, the vodka martini gained popularity as a result of Ian Fleming's novels, as it is the drink that the dashing 007 famously always orders. However, adamant traditionalists will tell you that anything other than the original recipe of gin, vermouth, and a dash of bitters is simply not a martini. And don't even get them started on the Appletini... Related: Where the Cocktail Came From: 10 "Cock-Tales"

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Blame James Bond for this one. Apparently, the vodka martini gained popularity as a result of Ian Fleming's novels, as it is the drink that the dashing 007 famously always orders. However, adamant traditionalists will tell you that anything other than the original recipe of gin, vermouth, and a dash of bitters is simply not a martini. And don't even get them started on the Appletini...

Related: Where the Cocktail Came From: 10 "Cock-Tales"

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Comments

[thejab]

02:58 PM on 12/23/2010

Shaking a martini doesn't bruise the gin (that's silly), but it does make it cloudy and it imparts ice shards in the cocktail (unless it's run through a strainer), which some people don't like. For these reasons I prefer mine stirred (and stirred long with plenty of ice). I no longer store my gin in the freezer because a martini needs some dilution. You want the ice to melt somewhat, and it won't if the gin is that cold.

A simple rule of stirred vs. shaken is to shake drinks with juices and stir drinks without.

[GraceNotes]

10:59 AM on 12/21/2010

The best way to chill the gin for a martini is to keep it in the freezer. Alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, so the gin will stay icy cold and you can stir your martini.
Also, Mame was on TV Sunday, and Rosalind Russell said, "No olive in a martini. They take up too much space in such a small glass."

[dididangerlove]

03:57 PM on 12/20/2010

Please replace the picture of the Strawberry Daiquiri with the iconic Daiquiri, which should ONLY be served on the rocks, if at all - never frozen. I realize there are a lot of people who enjoy slushy Strawberry Daiquiris and Daiquiris, but they are bastardizations of the original Daiquiri recipe.

Also, if you aren't adding bitters, you are living a very mediocre existence.

[GraceNotes]

10:56 AM on 12/21/2010

I never order a margarita frozen, always on the rocks.

[Kellybelle22]

02:35 PM on 12/19/2010

We had a Christmas open-house/cocktail gathering night before last at our home for 100 guests. All the standard bar drinks were on the menu, and the crowd, heavily weighted toward physicians, seemed to lean toward vodka martinis. I'm not sure why so many have forsaken gin, which is SO much better in that drink, at least to me, but vodka seems the current style in our northern suburb of Dallas. I was disappointed because we'd stocked plenty of Bombay Sapphire for real martinis.

I had the bartender stir rather than shake. It was more discreet, with that many guests and that much noise. We didn't bring the bar blender out of the cabinet for frozen margaritas, either, for the same reason. Too obnoxiously noisy. Everyone seemed fine with margaritas on the rocks.

[Oceras]

10:52 AM on 12/19/2010

What I hate is asking for a martini and ending up with a vodka "martini", which I don't like. I have never seen a martini recipe that calls for bitters. An olive or a twist is a must.
If you want the best gin martini you've ever had, go to a bar that makes them really well and ask for a martini very dry, hold the vermouth! with a twist or an olive. A local bartender does that automatically.
If you ask for a martini in France, you don't get gin or vodka. You get a Martini & Rossi vermouth.
Too much sodium can be bad for you Either no salt Margaritas, or a mixture of salt and sugar are what I prefer.
Mint julep: muddle. Duh!

[exxman]

03:51 PM on 12/23/2010

If there is no vermouth it is chilled gin served up, not a martini at all. I agree about the bitters. I've never heard of that

[Deborah Beck]

08:39 AM on 12/18/2010

Seems like anything shaken and served in a martini glass has a "tini" name to it. I've recently located to Austin, TX and a lot of restaurants have a "Mexican Martini" on the drink menu. While not a traditional martini, it's an awesome cocktail. I appreciate what the Martini drinker feel when they see that the "martini" label is being abused in the manner which it is. I know I have to feel the same way when I see an Irish Coffee served with all of that canned whipped cream taking up all that space in the glass. How can anyone drink it especially when the creme has "melted" down and there's that greasey oily substance in the drink? Don't even get me started on bottled or canned Bloody Mary mix in bars!

[Daniel Latham]

01:35 PM on 12/18/2010

I love the Mexican Martinis at Trudy's with all my heart. You could call them Poodle Pipis for all I care, they are a gift.

[Deborah Beck]

02:54 PM on 12/18/2010

Absolutely the best drink I'm found in Austin! Trudy's is great!

[Laxsmi de Potrero]

06:24 PM on 12/17/2010

iconic debates?

[Finnegans Wake]

03:04 PM on 12/17/2010

I'm a gin purist in martinis, but I care not a whit about shaken versus stirred.

I prefer my margaritas on the rocks, not as a brain-freeze slush, so no salt on the rim. But a better quality tequila, yes.

[Perry Clease]

01:06 AM on 12/19/2010

I second the margaritas on the rocks and without salt. I usually opt for cheap triple sec instead of Contrieau or Grand Marnier, but on special occasions I will splurge for good mixings.

My usual recipe is qual parts of tequila, triple sec or blue curaçao, and lime concentrate.

[liberal123]

02:04 PM on 12/17/2010

I think that there is no right or wrong in the iconic cocktail debates - it is just a matter of taste or preference.

[Oceras]

10:56 AM on 12/19/2010

Except if you go to a bar and don't get what you think you're asking for, such as in the case of a martini.

[GraphicMatt]

11:02 AM on 12/20/2010

Most people are specific when they order a martini....sort of solves the problem of getting exactly what you order. Kettle One, Sahara dessert dry, shaken, up and dirty. Works every time for me.

[LeFlaneur]

01:58 PM on 12/17/2010

My party secret is the Americano. 2:1 Campari and sweet vermouth, ice, top off with seltzer and an orange wheel (a must). Obviously you have to like Campari for this one, and kind of better for summer. But they're tasty, refreshing and low in alcohol so you can drink a lot of them without falling over.

[jsarets]

03:07 PM on 12/17/2010

I agree, the Americano is a great summer cocktail, but good luck getting modern America to enjoy bittered liquors. For the most part, our national palate is stuck on sweet or salty or maybe a little sour. Hence the numerous comments here about disliking dry vermouth or gin. We're like kids who never grew up to appreciate adult flavors.

[CTDFalconer]

05:48 PM on 12/17/2010

You're right, but I think that bitter is on the rise, though. I've heard chefs on TV mention it, using things like radicchio and endive and such. Also the craft brewing movement with their fetish for hops has placed the bitter aspect of beers front and center, finding enthusiastic audience among beer aficionados. The LA Times ran an article in the Food section on bitter liquors, aperitifs and digestifs recently too.

[Kellybelle22]

02:42 PM on 12/19/2010

Thank you for this party suggestion. I am always looking for refreshing, low-alcohol drinks to serve, and, for that matter, to enjoy, too. I'm nursing a baby and won't go over a single serving of alcohol for that reason. This sounds like a winner indeed!

[LynnyC]

01:41 PM on 12/17/2010

and the daiquiri, always frozen and always with real puree, no artificial strawberry mix! I always ask before I order a frozen drink. Red Lobster does real strawberry puree, and so does Red Robin, But Outback steakhouse and many other places use the fake stuff. Gross.

If you ever go to the Cancun Rainforest cafe, they have this raspberry rainfall daiquiri, and it taste like A JAMBA WITH RUM, SO GOOD! oops caps lock. got excited there.

[LeFlaneur]

01:40 PM on 12/17/2010

A martini with gin is a martini; a martini with vodka is a vodka martini. And both get vermouth.
How did a beautiful concoction of gin, dry vermouth and olives turn into a glass of cold vodka?

As for shaken or stirred, that's a matter of personal preference but I don't think gin can be "bruised."

[liberal123]

02:36 PM on 12/17/2010

I agree with you about "bruising" - I think this is a silly and pretentious assertion.

[Matthew Fitzsimmons]

05:58 PM on 12/18/2010

Agree with you on all points. Some suggest that the shaking versus stirring thing comes down to the ingredients; if a drink has fruit juice in it it can be shaken, but if all the ingredients are clear then stirring prevents your cocktail from becoming a thick fog of air bubbles (and a crystal clear martini looks pretty visually appealing IMHO). Still a matter of personal preference, but at least that explanation makes sense.

[LynnyC]

01:36 PM on 12/17/2010

if it's a strawberry margarita, I don't want salt, I want sugar rimming! whenever someone asks me if I want salt, I quickly say no, why would I want salty strawberry flavor? ew. You would think that's a given.

[Perry Clease]

01:08 AM on 12/19/2010

I think that the salt on the rim is just to make you thirstier, like free peanuts so you buy more beer.

[slinkybro]

01:23 PM on 12/17/2010

Martini - 3 oz Bombay Saphire Gin, 1/2 oz Martini and Rossi Dry Vermouth, Shaken, Poured into a chilled cocktail glass, 2 pimento stuffed olives, enjoyed with friends.

[CTDFalconer]

05:51 PM on 12/17/2010

Close enough to do business. Noilly-Prat, though, preferably stirred with crushed ice, "jewel" strained.

[Daniel Latham]

01:36 PM on 12/18/2010

Noilly-Prat all the way! (and don't forget the dash of orange bitters.)

[Oxfordblues]

01:19 PM on 12/17/2010

It's cold outside! I'll have an Irish Coffee!