traditional martini is iced, because traditionally you don't keep your vodka/gin in the freezer, so you have to ice it to cool it. You remove the ice from the mixed drink as soon as possible, generally by straining it.

My experience is that people use a chilled glass for gin. I've seen vodka have the ice strained out of it to go into a martini glass, but not gin.

My experience is that people use a chilled glass for gin.

Again, that's a modern thing. Cocktails date from the early 1900s, when it was very unlikely that a bar would have the facilities to pre-chill glasses.

traditional martini is iced, because traditionally you don't keep your vodka/gin in the freezer, so you have to ice it to cool it. You remove the ice from the mixed drink as soon as possible, generally by straining it.

Yup -- shaking gin w/ice bruises the hell out of it, but stirring is less traumatic to the beverage and its delicate baby feelings.

Have we seen 30 Second Exorcist here? (Now with more Bunnies!)

, but stirring is less traumatic to the beverage and its delicate baby feelings.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for every G&T I drink? Shades of Hitchhiker's...

Am I supposed to feel sorry for every G&T I drink? Shades of Hitchhiker's...

If you're heartless enough to not chill your gin bottle, obviously you don't have enough feeling to be sympathetic to your G&T.

What, is this the equivalent of freezing your lobster so it doesn't suffer before you boil it?

Eeeeks! And, funny!

I was forced to watch the Exorcist II last year. Slept through most of it, which is really the only way it makes any sense. Giant locusts? Kai Wynn? Oy.

What, is this the equivalent of freezing your lobster so it doesn't suffer before you boil it?

We just stroke them on the head.

I'm not stroking my gin. Spilling it all over the counter, maybe, but not stroking it.