Cocktails: Shaken, Not Stirred

The most famous martini drinker of them all, James Bond, preferred his martinis "shaken, not stirred". And he preferred them ice-cold, so cold that the bartender would risk frostbite when shaking the martini in a shaker. To shake the martini vigorously in ice was thought to alter the drink’s molecular structure and eliminate the oily mouth feel from the gin. Shaking also made the drink temporarily cloudy as tiny oxygen bubbles appeared.
Seems James was onto a more healthy technique, as well. It appears that shaking a martini produced the most antioxidants.
Of course, James Bond used both vodka and gin in his martinis and the resulting antioxidant effect is not known.
From Casino Royale, 1953, Chapter 7, James Bond's drink of choice was the vesper, named for the beautiful double agent in Ian Fleming's book of the same name:

"A dry martini," he said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

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

Got it?"

The Dukes Hotel Cocktail Bar in Mayfair, London, England, is where Ian Fleming concocted the famous line "shaken, not stirred" in reference to how James Bond, his fictional British Secret Service agent, preferred his martinis. The phrase was first used in Fleming’s book, Diamonds Are Forever, written in 1956. Interestingly, James Bond did not use the phrase in Diamonds Are Forever. He first used it in Dr. No, written two years later, in 1958. In the book You Only Live Twice, written in 1964, the phrase reverts to "stirred, not shaken".

Cool Links:

Shaken, not stirred - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia