Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Bruising<\/a> for details.<\/p>\nHere’s what I’ve done.\u00a0 I’ve prepared two dry Martinis (i.e., Gin) using 1 1\/4 oz. of my favorite Gin.\u00a0 Each was mixed with 20 ice cubes, one shaken for 10 seconds and one stirred for 45 seconds. \u00a0 Then put in identical glasses and placed in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.\u00a0 By doing this I’ve removed the variable of temperature.\u00a0 I mixed the gin for different times in the hope of removing the variable of dilution.\u00a0 (I didn’t quite succeed, the shaken Martini contained a bit more drink, so it was a bit more diluted.)\u00a0 Finally by allowing the two glasses to sit I’ve allowed the emulsification to dissipate thereby removing the variable of ‘bruising’.<\/p>\n
So which ‘won’?? \u00a0\u00a0 Hold that thought for now…. Lets start with a couple of facts.\u00a0 First, taste is a combination of sensor receptors on the tongue (taste receptors, or buds) and in the nasal cavity (olfactory epithelium).\u00a0\u00a0 There are also secondary conditions that affect taste; e.g., temperature, texture, and ‘heat’ \/ spiciness.<\/p>\n
Second, taste is a function of “chemistry”.\u00a0 By that I mean that the body (tongue, palate, mouth, and nose) detects various molecules, ions, chemicals, and compounds and sends signals to the brain which interprets the information as ‘taste’.<\/p>\n
Therefore to declare that Shaking a martini changes the taste we must infer that Shaking changes the martini’s chemistry.\u00a0 Is that possible?\u00a0 Well, it appears that may be the case.\u00a0 I did an extensive bit of research (thank you Google) and found the following.<\/p>\n
The Department of Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario conducted a study to determine if the preparation of a martini has an influence on its antioxidant capacity. They found that the shaken gin martinis were able to break down hydrogen peroxide and leave only 0.072% of the peroxide behind, versus the stirred gin martini, which left behind 0.157% of the peroxide.*<\/sup><\/p>\nI should also note that the above is the only<\/em> <\/strong>“citeable” bit of evidence I found anywhere.\u00a0 Everything else was subjective.\u00a0 Which brings up the question; is a difference of 0.085% (0.157 – 0.072) peroxide detectable?<\/p>\nOf all the posts, blogs, editorials, and opinions I have read, none provided any solid evidence of the taste changes – in Gin.\u00a0 A\u00a0 few reported subtle changes in cheap Vodka martinis – something about cheap vodka being made from potatoes which leave extra oils in the liquor.<\/p>\n
The few ‘side by side’ reports I found noted how one method made the Martini colder or weaker or cloudier.\u00a0 But not a difference in taste.<\/p>\n
Which leads us back my experiment: so which tastes better?\u00a0 To be absolutely honest, I couldn’t taste any difference.\u00a0 I went back and forth repeatedly, even rinsing my mouth between tastes.\u00a0 The stirred martini was just a tad stronger, but it didn’t taste different.\u00a0 That is surely due to the slightly greater dilution of the shaken Martini.\u00a0 I will certainly try this again adjusting the mixing times and possibly adding straight gin as a third option.\u00a0 I’ll keep you informed.<\/p>\n
Advantage?
\nDraw.\u00a0 I could not taste a difference.\u00a0 Nor can I find documented evidence of a taste difference in Gin anywhere in the googlesphere.\u00a0 Please send me any links to such articles if you can find them.
\n*\u00a0 Hirst, M.; Trevithick, J. R. (18 December 1999). “Shaken, not stirred: bio-analytical study of the antioxidant activities of martinis”. British Medical Journal<\/i> 319<\/b> (7225): 1600\u20132. doi:10.1136\/bmj.319.7225.1600. PMC\u00a028303. PMID\u00a010600955. Retrieved 2006-04-12<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We’ve finally come to the final, and probably most important, contentious, and difficult edition of Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Taste.\u00a0 Does Shaking change the taste of the Martini? I’ve been scratching my head trying to develop an effective and simple … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[17,10],"tags":[3,5,2,9,7,40],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":577,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=577","url_meta":{"origin":579,"position":0},"title":"Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Bruising","author":"wlmoon58","date":"July 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is my third \u201cRevisited\u201d post on \u2018Shaken vs. Stirred\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 The previous two dealt with Temperature and Dilution.\u00a0 See Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Temperature and Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Dilution to catch up.\u00a0\u00a0 Today we wax poetic on Bruising. I'm sure you've read or heard somewhere that shaking 'bruises' the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":619,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=619","url_meta":{"origin":579,"position":1},"title":"Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Conclusion.","author":"wlmoon58","date":"July 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the past several weeks I've waxed poetic on the differences between Shaken Martinis and Stirred Martinis.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We've talked about Temperature, Dilution, Bruising, and Taste.\u00a0 So what is the combined consensus conclusion? Lets review the score: Temperature - Draw\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Temperature Dilution - Stirring\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gin"","block_context":{"text":"Gin","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1532,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1532","url_meta":{"origin":579,"position":2},"title":"The Perfect Martini “How To”s Collected","author":"wlmoon58","date":"November 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the course of the almost two years that I've been writing this blog I've posted many random martini quotes, several reviews of restaurant and bars, made opinionated comments about stemware, and expounded on my pet peeves.\u00a0 And, of course, I've also written extensively on what I believe makes a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gin"","block_context":{"text":"Gin","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Martini-with-Twist.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":967,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=967","url_meta":{"origin":579,"position":3},"title":"The Perfect Martini: Shaken or Stirred?","author":"wlmoon58","date":"October 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Shaken or Stirred?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which is \"Perfect\"? One of the eternal Martini questions!\u00a0 Right up there with Dickens .... Olive or Twist? I have written extensively in the past about Shaken vs. Stirred Martinis and thought a reminder might be appropriate for some of the newer readers, in case you missed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":551,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=551","url_meta":{"origin":579,"position":4},"title":"Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Temperature","author":"wlmoon58","date":"June 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm baaaaack.\u00a0 (Think Schwarzenegger!)\u00a0 After the recent consecutive holidays (World Gin Day & National Martini Day) I took a couple of days off.\u00a0 But I'm back with more thoughts and, of course, more martini reviews. Since I've had this blog going, I've had a number of conversations on Shaken vs.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":574,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=574","url_meta":{"origin":579,"position":5},"title":"Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Dilution","author":"wlmoon58","date":"June 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is my second \"Revisited\" post on 'Shaken vs. Stirred'.\u00a0\u00a0 The first dealt with Temperatures.\u00a0 See Shaken vs. Stirred Revisited: Temperature if you missed it.\u00a0\u00a0 Today I'm going to elaborate on Dilution ..... 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