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Fret ye not
THE LAST WORD
Last words past and present at newscientist.com/lastword
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Stirring stuff What is the significance of James Bond’s famous phrase “shaken not stirred”? Is there really a difference in the taste of a shaken vodka martini, as opposed to a stirred one? And if there is, why?
n Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the cocktail bar, this Last Word chestnut sprang back to life. In 2012 when we published our anthology Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? we thought we had it nailed. Shaken vodka martinis make the drink taste less oily and because many vodkas made after the second world war were from potatoes rather than grain (today’s preference), and because potatoes produce a distinctly oily vodka, James Bond liked his shaken rather than today’s more acceptable stirred method. It appears, however, there’s more to it – Ed
n I heard that Bond’s preference for shaking his martini rather than stirring it had nothing to do with chemistry. It was because shaking a cocktail involves only one hand, leaving the other free to grab his gun if any bad guys should suddenly appear. Joseph Kenny London, UK n The truth is that Bond really should curb his intake. In research published in the BMJ in December 2013, doctors in Derby and Nottingham, both in the UK, had calculated Bond’s alcohol intake. Apparently he consumes on average the equivalent of five vodka martinis a day, or 92 units of alcohol a week. This makes him a “problem drinker” – one more likely to die from liver failure than lead a glamorous lifestyle, let alone hold a Walther PPK steady or manage as much sex as Ian Fleming’s books describe. In the novel From Russia With Love, Bond actually downs 50 units in one day. The researchers suggested he only preferred shaken martinis
n It isn’t only potatoes that lead to oily vodkas. After the second world war, when grain was needed more to feed people than inebriate them, producers (legal and illegal) “Apparently James Bond used any vegetable they could consumes the equivalent find. Root vegetables of many kinds – parsnips, carrots, beetroot of five vodka martinis and lots of others – make distinctly every day” oily vodkas. All benefit from shaking when in a martini. because he was already shaking as Vodka can be distilled from a result of his excessive boozing. almost anything. A producer in They concluded that Bond should England makes milk vodka. I can’t be “referred for further vouch for its oiliness though, assessment of his alcohol intake”. because I haven’t tried it. Still, while it’s an important Alan Hamley point they are trying to make, the Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK researchers surely understand
The writers of answers published in the magazine will receive a cheque for £25 (or US$ equivalent). Answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Include a daytime telephone number and email address if you have one. We are pleased to acknowledge financial support from Statoil in producing The Last Word. New Scientist retains total editorial control over the content. Reed Business Information Ltd reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format. Send questions and answers to The Last Word, New Scientist, Lacon House, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, UK, by email to lastword@newscientist. com or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/ lastword (please include a postal address in order to receive payment for answers). Unanswered questions can also be found at this URL.
that Bond is a fictional character. His level of alcohol intake is as unlikely as his ability to break into Fort Knox, fly a space shuttle or survive the more than 4500 bullets fired in his direction. Charles Black Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis n Although medical researchers have concluded that Bond drank too much, they are clearly forgetting that he was a spy and used clandestine methods. Surely everybody knows that secret service operatives in the field only pretend to consume vast quantities of alcohol. They fake becoming drunk so that they are well prepared for when somebody starts to blab their megalomaniacal plans, or the guns come out. Check the potted plants and umbrella stands near where Bond was sitting and you’ll probably find that they contain olives and lemon peel, and smell of vodka martini. Karen Jarrold Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK n Apparently the third man to play Bond in the movies, Roger Moore, never uttered the words “shaken not stirred” because he didn’t think he could do justice to the way the first Bond, Sean Connery, delivered them. Ironically, before his Bond days, while playing The Saint in the eponymous TV series, Moore did use the phrase. Colm Sheehy Liverpool, UK
FRET YE NOT Living by the south coast of England, sea mists or frets are a common weather phenomenon. As the cold mist rolls off the sea and inland, it is accompanied by a notably intense marine, seashore smell. How does this smell get into the mist? The conditions are almost always calm, so there are no waves to form spray droplets.
n That smell is neither ozone nor
seawater; it is largely a chemical compound called dimethyl sulphide (DMS) plus related compounds, together with products of their chemical reaction with oxygen in the air. Plankton and seaweed and the like produce DMS and similar compounds in huge amounts. As a rule, sea breezes disperse it quickly, but both DMS and its derivatives are fairly heavy gases and in still air they tend to hang over their sources. There they accumulate and mature into intensely aromatic compounds, through microbial or atmospheric chemical reactions. They then bind largely to humid droplets, such as those found in frets. On windy days, frets seldom form. However, in conditions that encourage them, DMS and its derivatives remain static in still air, with the components of the sea smell increasing in concentration. When a gentle breeze moves them on, everyone in their path gets their full aromatic benefit. Jon Richfield Somerset West, South Africa
The last word on energy Win £100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues. When you shake an aerosol can it immediately feels colder, even though you are putting energy “in”. Why? Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 11 February 2014 to [email protected] or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/ energy. Terms and conditions are also at this URL.
Last words past and present at newscientist.com/lastword
sponsored by
Stirring stuff What is the significance of James Bond’s famous phrase “shaken not stirred”? Is there really a difference in the taste of a shaken vodka martini, as opposed to a stirred one? And if there is, why?
n Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the cocktail bar, this Last Word chestnut sprang back to life. In 2012 when we published our anthology Will We Ever Speak Dolphin? we thought we had it nailed. Shaken vodka martinis make the drink taste less oily and because many vodkas made after the second world war were from potatoes rather than grain (today’s preference), and because potatoes produce a distinctly oily vodka, James Bond liked his shaken rather than today’s more acceptable stirred method. It appears, however, there’s more to it – Ed
n I heard that Bond’s preference for shaking his martini rather than stirring it had nothing to do with chemistry. It was because shaking a cocktail involves only one hand, leaving the other free to grab his gun if any bad guys should suddenly appear. Joseph Kenny London, UK n The truth is that Bond really should curb his intake. In research published in the BMJ in December 2013, doctors in Derby and Nottingham, both in the UK, had calculated Bond’s alcohol intake. Apparently he consumes on average the equivalent of five vodka martinis a day, or 92 units of alcohol a week. This makes him a “problem drinker” – one more likely to die from liver failure than lead a glamorous lifestyle, let alone hold a Walther PPK steady or manage as much sex as Ian Fleming’s books describe. In the novel From Russia With Love, Bond actually downs 50 units in one day. The researchers suggested he only preferred shaken martinis
n It isn’t only potatoes that lead to oily vodkas. After the second world war, when grain was needed more to feed people than inebriate them, producers (legal and illegal) “Apparently James Bond used any vegetable they could consumes the equivalent find. Root vegetables of many kinds – parsnips, carrots, beetroot of five vodka martinis and lots of others – make distinctly every day” oily vodkas. All benefit from shaking when in a martini. because he was already shaking as Vodka can be distilled from a result of his excessive boozing. almost anything. A producer in They concluded that Bond should England makes milk vodka. I can’t be “referred for further vouch for its oiliness though, assessment of his alcohol intake”. because I haven’t tried it. Still, while it’s an important Alan Hamley point they are trying to make, the Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK researchers surely understand
The writers of answers published in the magazine will receive a cheque for £25 (or US$ equivalent). Answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Include a daytime telephone number and email address if you have one. We are pleased to acknowledge financial support from Statoil in producing The Last Word. New Scientist retains total editorial control over the content. Reed Business Information Ltd reserves all rights to reuse question
and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format. Send questions and answers to The Last Word, New Scientist, Lacon House, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, UK, by email to lastword@newscientist. com or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/ lastword (please include a postal address in order to receive payment for answers). Unanswered questions can also be found at this URL.
that Bond is a fictional character. His level of alcohol intake is as unlikely as his ability to break into Fort Knox, fly a space shuttle or survive the more than 4500 bullets fired in his direction. Charles Black Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis n Although medical researchers have concluded that Bond drank too much, they are clearly forgetting that he was a spy and used clandestine methods. Surely everybody knows that secret service operatives in the field only pretend to consume vast quantities of alcohol. They fake becoming drunk so that they are well prepared for when somebody starts to blab their megalomaniacal plans, or the guns come out. Check the potted plants and umbrella stands near where Bond was sitting and you’ll probably find that they contain olives and lemon peel, and smell of vodka martini. Karen Jarrold Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK n Apparently the third man to play Bond in the movies, Roger Moore, never uttered the words “shaken not stirred” because he didn’t think he could do justice to the way the first Bond, Sean Connery, delivered them. Ironically, before his Bond days, while playing The Saint in the eponymous TV series, Moore did use the phrase. Colm Sheehy Liverpool, UK
FRET YE NOT Living by the south coast of England, sea mists or frets are a common weather phenomenon. As the cold mist rolls off the sea and inland, it is accompanied by a notably intense marine, seashore smell. How does this smell get into the mist? The conditions are almost always calm, so there are no waves to form spray droplets.
n That smell is neither ozone nor
seawater; it is largely a chemical compound called dimethyl sulphide (DMS) plus related compounds, together with products of their chemical reaction with oxygen in the air. Plankton and seaweed and the like produce DMS and similar compounds in huge amounts. As a rule, sea breezes disperse it quickly, but both DMS and its derivatives are fairly heavy gases and in still air they tend to hang over their sources. There they accumulate and mature into intensely aromatic compounds, through microbial or atmospheric chemical reactions. They then bind largely to humid droplets, such as those found in frets. On windy days, frets seldom form. However, in conditions that encourage them, DMS and its derivatives remain static in still air, with the components of the sea smell increasing in concentration. When a gentle breeze moves them on, everyone in their path gets their full aromatic benefit. Jon Richfield Somerset West, South Africa
The last word on energy Win £100 by answering our monthly question about energy issues. When you shake an aerosol can it immediately feels colder, even though you are putting energy “in”. Why? Answers should reach us by 2359 GMT on 11 February 2014 to [email protected] or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/ energy. Terms and conditions are also at this URL.