BMJ  2003;327:E49 (4 October), doi:10.1136/bmjusa.01070006 (published 5 September 2002)

BMJ USA: Letter

RAPID RESPONSES FROM BMJ.COM

A Bond impersonator?

Editor—I greatly enjoyed this eye-opening study of martinis, but it seems that the researchers have been fooled by an imposter. The real James Bond always drank vodka martinis, never the traditional gin martini. That's just the sort of mistake I'd expect from a SMERSH agent trying to impersonate Bond: ordering the obvious "British" martini instead of the idiosyncratic, worldly vodka cocktail.

In reply—We will be examining the antioxidant activity of other martini mixes in the New Millennium. It seems we have a SMERSH agent in our student ranks who has misdirected us! Rest assured that he or she will be exposed.

Medscape, Inc kathyleen{at}worldoftile.com

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada trevjohn{at}julian.uwo.ca

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Can anyone really taste the difference?

Editor—This study is certainly clear on the health benefits. Shaken martinis have twice the antioxidant effect of stirred martinis, so those of us who drink our martinis stirred should obviously drink twice as many of them to enjoy as healthy a life as Mr. Bond.

However, a more fundamental question remains: can anyone really taste the difference? I recently tried an (admittedly underpowered) experiment, in which I prepared two martinis, one shaken and one stirred. Both were made from six parts Stolichnaya vodka to one part Noilly Prat vermouth (and were thus more akin to Mr. Bond's favorite drink than the variety of martini investigated by Trevithick et al). I gave them, blinded, to four guests at a party, none of whom was able to express a clear preference.

Obviously, this was only a preliminary experiment. Whether it could be replicated in a larger sample is an important question that requires further research, which I will be more than happy to do if someone will provide the funding.

Dianthus Medical Limited, London, UK ajacobs{at}dianthus.co.uk

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