You already know the Bond-iconic phrase "shaken, not stirred," and you're aware of how many olives fit snugly on a toothpick (two, but maybe three, if you really dig olives), and you know that a martini glass has that classic "V" shape and stunning stem.
But watching a talented bartender make your martini is a whole different thing, and seeing it happen before your eyes at Musso & Frank Grill?
It's a pleasure for martini mavens, one that has been a Hollywood tradition for several decades.
If you're trying to recreate the Musso & Frank experience in your own kitchen during this stay-at-home period, and you know that the landmark dining room uses a smaller glass, and that the temperature of the gin or vodka is key, but you still need some guidance, look to the new video that Musso's just posted on Facebook.
Andrea Scuto, the wine director and general manager for the Hollywood Boulevard restaurant, is at the helm of the interesting video, which is a step-by-step for concocting the celebrated cocktail.
Mr. Scuto gives fans a little insight into the Musso's way of approaching the beverage, from the glassware to proper measuring to the mixing spoon.
Oh yes: This martini is stirred, not shaken.
The elegant eatery remains temporarily closed, but the video can provide a few moments of martini magic, even if you're not physically sitting at Musso's grand and woodsy bar in the restaurant's eastern "New Room," watching the red-jacket'd bartenders create not just lovely libations but moments to remember.
Cheers to that.
