Vodka Martini - "Shaken, not stirred"

1 1/2 oz vodka

dash dry vermouth

Combine ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker. Shake well. Strain and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.

History: In the movies, James Bond was a hard-core vodka martini drinker who prefered his cocktail "shaken, not stirred." Due to his popularity, the cocktail was the hottest drink of the 1960s. However, we believe his fondness for vodka was due in large part because Smirnoff bought the product placement rights in the films. Before the movie series almost all martinis were made exclusively with gin.

Definition of Cocktail

A cocktail is a style of mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water and bitters, the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol. A cocktail today usually contains one or more types of liquor and flavorings and one or more liqueurs, fruit juices, sugar, honey, water, ice, soda, milk, cream, herbs, bitters, etc.

Cocktails are made with gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, brandy, or vodka. Many cocktails traditionally made with gin, such as thegimlet, or the martini, or Tom Collins are now made with vodka.