The Secret of James Bond's Health
Anyone who has heard about the Nobel (or Ignobel) prize, given out for the most useless scientific discoveries, has probably been surprised at how aimlessly the funds of governments and various foundations that sponsor scientific research are sometimes spent. The study described below has a nice addition – researchers and participants in clinical trials can not only drink for free, but also join the secret of the excellent physical form of Agent 007 himself.
In honor of the centenary of Ian Fleming, the creator of the world's most popular secret agent 007, Professor Charles Spence and Dr. Andrea Sella will reveal the secrets of James Bond's favorite drink and some other cocktails in a lecture scheduled as part of the Cheltenham Science Festival, which will be held June 4-8. However, if you are interested in this information, you are already late, since all tickets for this lecture have already been sold.
For the first time, students of the University of Western Ontario (Canada), led by Colleen Trevithick under the patronage of her father, Professor of biochemistry John Trevithick, paid attention to the request to "mix, but not shake" vodka and martini. In order to feel the difference, the researchers conducted a series of experiments with gin and vermouth separately and a cocktail of gin and martini. (One can only guess why the authors analyzed gin, while James Bond preferred a mixture of vermouth and vodka).
It turned out that the cocktail inactivates hydrogen peroxide, which is a source of free radicals associated with aging and tissue damage, much more effectively than any of the main ingredients of the classic (not Bondovsky!) martini: vermouth and gin. At the same time, the "mixed" version of the cocktail turned out to be almost twice as effective as the "whipped" one.
The mechanisms underlying this effect are unknown, but the authors suggested that the composition of the drink includes some kind of antioxidant, the activity of which decreases with intense stirring. Traditionally, olives added to a cocktail can have such an effect, but this option was not considered due to the complexity of modeling the experiment.
According to a summary of the results of the study, published long ago in the British Medical Journal, James Bond owes his excellent state of health to the pliability of bartenders.
Dr. Sella claims that mixed versions of martinis are not only healthier, but also tastier than whipped ones. This is due to the content of more microscopic ice particles, which give the drink a unique taste. Sella plans to test his hypothesis at the Cheltenham Festival, where he will have no problems with those who want to participate in "clinical trials".
Despite the impeccable taste, Agent 007 missed several scientific aspects concerning cocktails. When preparing a Vesper cocktail, composed by him in honor of his beloved Vesper Lind (vesper – evening bell, evening star), he asks the bartender to "stir until the drink becomes cold as ice."
According to Dr. Sell, cocktails can really be less than 0 degrees (Celsius!) if you put ice in a glass that has just been taken out of the freezer. At the same time, the drink will remain liquid. This is due to the same phenomenon as when sprinkling icy roads with salt: salt does not contribute to melting, but its solution has a lower freezing point than pure water. The same effect is given by alcohol and sugar, which is part of many cocktails.
Dr. Sela will demonstrate this effect at the Cheltenham Festival, with which experts in "molecular cooking" have been experimenting for a long time. For example, the legendary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià, who created the Hot and Cold Gin Fizz cocktail – a chilled gin covered with hot foam from the same drink.
In addition, pundits and their (probably numerous) assistants from the audience investigate the influence of the degree of carbonation, color, serving, background music sound and other factors on the benefits a person receives from sipping alcoholic cocktails.
A healthy skeptic
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru according to the Telegraph28.05.2008