Shaken, not stirred is a famous, perhaps clichéd, catch phrase of Ian Fleming’s fictional British Secret Service agent, James Bond and his preference for how he wished his martini prepared. The phrase first appears in the novel Diamonds Are Forever (1956), though Bond does not actually say the line until Dr No (1958). It was first uttered in the films by Sean Connery in Goldfinger in 1964 (though the villain Dr Julius No offers this drink and utters those words in the first film, Dr No in 1962) and was used in most Bond films thereafter.

It was used in numerous Bond films thereafter with the notable exceptions of You Only Live Twice, in which the drink is offered stirred, not shaken (Bond, ever the gentleman and not wanting to cause his polite host embarrassment brushes it off, telling his host it’s perfect), and Casino Royale, in which, asked if he wants his martini shaken or stirred, Bond replies, “Do I look like I give a damn?”

This phrase has become a recognisable catch phrase in western popular culture, and has appeared in any number of films, television programmes and video games for its cliché value. Roger Moore used the phrase in one episode of ‘The Saint’, eight years before he played James Bond himself. Ironically, while playing Bond, Moore never ordered a martini, although he received one in The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, and Octopussy.

The American Film Institute honoured Goldfinger and the phrase on July 21, 2005 by ranking it #90 on a list of best film quotes in the past 100 years of film.

Instances in films:

• Sean Connery: The shaken Martini is mentioned twice in the first Bond film Dr No. Once when Bond has presumably ordered a drink from room service to his hotel room, it is mixed by a waiter, who says “one medium dry vodka martini mixed like you said, sir, but not stirred” (a slice of lime was in the bottom of the glass.) And again when Dr No presents Bond with a drink and says “A medium dry martini, lemon peel. Shaken, not stirred.” Bond does not vocally order one himself until Goldfinger (1964). However, in You Only Live Twice, Bond’s contact Henderson, prepares a martini for Bond and says “That’s, um, stirred not shaken. That was right, wasn’t it?” To which Bond replies politely, “Perfect.” Since then, each Bond has himself ordered the drink, except for two.
• Roger Moore: Bond never actually orders one himself, but has one ordered for him several times, nonetheless. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Major Amasova orders him one. In Moonraker, his drink is prepared by Manuela. In Octopussy, Octopussy herself greets Bond by mixing his drink.
• Timothy Dalton: Bond orders his trademark martini in each of his films. During The Living Daylights he and Kara Milovy arrive in Austria where he orders a martini “Shaken, not stirred” shortly after entering their hotel. In Licence To Kill he doesn’t directly order it. Instead, he tells Pam Bouvier what drink he’d like as he plays Blackjack.
• Pierce Brosnan: In Die Another Day, Bond is coming back on a rather turbulent British Airways flight. The air hostess (played by Roger Moore’s daughter Deborah) serves him his martini, to which Bond replies “Luckily I asked for it shaken.”
• Daniel Craig: The Vesper was reused in Casino Royale, while Bond is playing poker to defeat Le Chiffre. Bond orders the drink providing great detail about how it should be prepared. Later though when the barman asks whether he would like a martini shaken or stirred, the younger and less experienced Bond snaps, after losing the poker tournament, “Do I look like I give a damn?”

See also:

• Vesper