The Alternative Watch goes to all lengths–and, apparently, libations–to inform readers. A recent study in the British Medical Journal analyzed the antioxidant values in shaken and stirred martinis.
Really.
Antioxidants are substances found in plant foods, including vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, polyphenols and flavonoids. They have been widely associated with protecting body and mind from cardiovascular disease, stroke, certain cancers and age-related degeneration. In simple terms, antioxidants prevent oxygen from doing too much harm to cells in our bodies.
The presence of polyphenols and flavonoids in wine and other cocktails is a primary reason researchers think moderate consumption of alcohol might be good for your health (of course, no one recommends starting to drink if you don’t, and moderate consumption is no more than one drink, or a 1.5-ounce martini, per day for women and one to two per day for men).
The University of Western Ontario (Canada) researchers conducting the study (funded by a liquor company) tested shaken and stirred martinis with hydrogen peroxide added to the drinks to simulate oxygen’s potential effect on the body. The shaken martinis were twice as effective in neutralizing the hydrogen peroxide as the stirred variety. Vermouth was found to add more to the antioxidant effect than the gin, though the two liquors together created a better protective drink than either one alone.
And that’s before even considering the antioxidant properties in the onion or olive that James Bond liked in his martinis.
