The Martini is a deeply personal drink. A simple combination of ingredients that can be adjusted to suit the drinker’s tastes – typically gin and vermouth, served ice cold – it is also a drink that strikes heated debates amongst its fans.

Vermouth or no vermouth? (We would argue the vermouth an essential component, as you are otherwise enjoying cold gin, and not a cocktail per se). Gin or vodka? (Again, we are of an opinionated mindset that the vodka Martini, or even the Vesper, are riffs on the original drink, and not a true Martini). Lemon twist or olive? (We’re partial to the twist, but respect the appeal of the dirty variation). And of course, the James Bond-inspired classic, shaken or stirred? (Bond is without a doubt wrong. Martinis should not be shaken).

Recently, a new debate has risen amongst the Martini faithful – stirred and strained, or bottled and frozen? To answer this, we must first examine the purpose of the traditional stirring of the drink. Not only does stirring chill the cocktail, but it also melts the ice, diluting the Martini to a more palatable ratio. Proper dilution, according to Plymouth Gin Global Brand Ambassador Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, is “the single most important universal quality of a great Martini.”

“Drinking a Martini should not be a show of bravery,” says Hamilton-Mudge. “The interaction between water and alcohol is essential for unlocking the flavors and aromas carried by the alcohol, as well as taming its ‘heat’… I think that under diluted Martinis are the biggest reason why some people do not fall in love with the Martini, but are instead put off by it.”

It’s clear that dilution is an essential component of the Martini, and tradition tells us that it can be achieved by stirring the drink with ice, but the new school of thought in favor of bottling, suggests that this same dilution can be achieved simply by adding water to the recipe. That mixture can then be stored in the freezer to chill, and later poured out at one’s leisure.

While efficient, traditionalists argue that to prebatch the drink in this fashion is a bastardization, citing an absence of the performative nature of bartending, and the inability to customize each cocktail to a specific drinker’s tastes.

“I think the biggest thing that is lost from bottling and freezing is the show that comes with crafting such a cocktail,” says bartender Nick Gonzalez, of Austin’s Gibson Street Bar. “That, to me, is part of the price of the drink and part of the total experience that cannot be duplicated by simply pouring out a pre-batched drink.”

Gonzalez isn’t alone in his thinking. Alex Fletcher of Harlowe MXM, notes that with pouring out a batched Martini, “you lose what I like to call the ‘Benihana effect.’”

Similarly, Matt Gumm, Beverage Director for The Waiting Room, acknowledged that while bottling and pouring would likely result in a serviceable cocktail, the practice skips out on tradition, and in some sense, dilutes the craft. “It used to be the benchmark of our industry to be able to have the classics so dialed in that we could knock out a bunch of classic stirred drinks to order and have each of them be perfect and delicious,” says Gumm.

But the industry is perpetually changing, and while it’s easy to agree that a $16 Martini in a bar ought to offer the guest some sort of experience, one might counter that said experience could be created via the atmosphere, presentation, and overall incredible quality, and not necessarily in the crafting of the drink. Take New York City’s revived and thriving Four Seasons bar for example, where Beverage Director Thomas Waugh serves an elegant and pricey $18 House Martini pre-batched with spring water, or cocktail maven Dave Arnold’s new Greenwich Village spot, Existing Conditions, which proudly offers bottled martinis that guests can purchase from a vending machine. If some of the most renowned drinking dens in the America’s most progressive cocktail city are doing it, bottling certainly can’t be that wrong, can it?

Though he acknowledges the beauty of “tradition and ceremony” when it comes to making the Martini, Hamilton-Mudge argues that several positives keep the bottled Martini just as relevant as its stirred counterpart. According to Hamilton-Mudge, “flavors mellow and round when left to rest in bottle,” similar to the way in which flavors become more complex and nuanced when slow cooking food over an extended period of time. So while each drink may not be customizable, the consistency and quality that can be achieved with a good bottled recipe make up for this shortcoming.

Plenty of his peers agree, including Hotel San Francisco Bar Director Jonny Cimone and Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour Principal Barman Ross Simon, both of whom have created bottled offerings for their menus.

Cimone, who also owns his own bottled cocktail company, says that “[he doesn’t] feel anything is lost, only gained by bottling and freezing. You allow the flavors to marinate, the natural burn that comes with alcohol is mellowed by the freezing temperature, and the texture smooths out, creating a more rounded and enjoyable mouthfeel.”

At Bitter & Twisted, Simon bottles what he’s dubbed the “Flawless Martini,” a carefully calculated ratio of gin, vermouth and nano filtered water, chilled to less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s not just a gimmick for gimmick’s sake,” says Simon. “It truly makes the Martini better if that’s at all possible.”

Like most debates surrounding the Martini, we likely will not ever arrive at a universally agreed upon answer as to whether bottling and freezing is an acceptable, or even preferred, preparation method. But the next time you’re planning on having guests over, consider getting to spend a bit more time socializing and less time stirring, by bottling and freezing a precisely executed Martini the night before. As Hamilton-Mudge concludes, “there is room in this world for a bartender making a Martini with that glorious and time-honored ceremony, and there is room for a bottled Martini, delicious and perfectly served within seconds.”

The Bottled Marguerite

2 parts Plymouth Gin

1 part Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth

1½ parts Filtered Water

1 dash Orange Bitters

Pour all ingredients into a glasses bottle. Store in freezer until chilled. Pour into a Martini glass and serve