.....Here are a few tips to mix your perfect Martini. It's all about ratios. And ice. For a basic Martini chill your stemmed glass, shaker and Gin in the freezer (Vermouth is best kept at room temperature). Put two hard-frozen ice cubes into your shaker, add three parts of Gin to one part Dry Vermouth and shake about eight times (or should you stir??? we'll get into that in a second). Pour through a cocktail strainer into your chilled glass. Garnish with an olive. Voila!
Welcome to the world of movie stars and kings.

.....Remember that the ice is an important part of this recipe because it doesn't just make the drink cold but it helps combine the Gin and Vermouth. The trick is to not let the ice melt and water-down your drink. Of course, the dryer the Martini, the less
Vermouth you use, so try a ratio of five to one. For a very dry Martini I suggest adding a shot of Dry Vermouth to your shaker, let it coat the ice, then pour out the Vermouth and add your Gin. Some people I know merely wave the top of an open Vermouth bottle over the shaker. That's dry. But I don't know that it is really a Martini, I think it's called Gin straight.

....Now the big question: Shaking vs stirring.
As you can tell, I shake my martini... I feel if your Gin, glasses and shaker are properly chilled, this is the fasted way of mixing for the least dilution from the ice (Plus I don't believe in the MYTH of bruising the gin). DrCocktail@aol.com wrote, "The best reason to shake a Martini is to thoroughly mix a larger quantity (like 10 to 1) vermouth and have it unite into a wonderful mixture. But Magoo424 was kind enough to explain to me why he prefers stirring... he writes, "The reason I like to stir rather than shake is two fold: a) less dilution, and b) better clarity. Less dilution because you can use more ice when you stir, and more ice always means less dilution because it cools more quickly (and keeps the liquid colder.) No, I agree that it is a myth about 'bruising the gin' (whatever that means) and I suppose you could fill your shaker to the brim with ice and do a gentle shake, but I think it is easier to stir. Better clarity because shaking almost always causes some degree of clouding, and part of the aesthetic of the straight up Martini is it's pristine cold clarity."

.....It makes some sense to me and I will have to test out Magoo's theory. One my way... One Magoo's... Another my way... And another his... and so on. I think when I get done testing I may not really care one way or the other, or I may have to switch over to
just the melted ice with an olive.