Vodka Martini

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A Vodkatini, or vodka martini, is a cocktail made with vodka and vermouth, a relatively flavorless variation of a Martini.

A standard vodkatini is made by combining vodka, dry vermouth and ice in a cocktail shaker or mixing glass. The ingredients are chilled, either by stirring or shaking, then strained and served "straight up" (without ice) in a chilled cocktail glass. The drink may be garnished with either an olive, a "twist" (a strip of lemon peel squeezed or twisted), capers, or cocktail onions.

The vodkatini has become a common variation of the martini, but controversial among devotees. In the late twentieth century, the vodkatini supplanted the traditional gin-based martini in popularity. When today's bar and restaurant patrons order "a martini", they frequently have in mind a drink made with vodka. Martini purists decry this development; while few object to the drink itself, they strenuously object to it being called a martini.

The fictional spy James Bond has been widely associated with the popularity of the vodka martini. In Ian Fleming's original book, Casino Royale (1953), Bond orders a dry martini in a deep champagne glass, asking for it to be made with three measures of Gordon's gin, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet vermouth. "Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel." He calls this drink a "vesper", after Vesper Lynd, a woman in the book.

In the films based on Fleming's novels, Bond always asked for a vodka martini, "shaken, not stirred". His fondness for vodka was accompanied by Smirnoff-brand vodka (later Finlandia Vodka) having the product placement rights in the films. However, in the 2006 version of Casino Royale, Bond responds after the question, "Shaken or stirred?", with the words, "Does it look like I give a damn?"