Shaken or stirred? How about turbine-blasted at 150 rpm? Possibly the most British product of 2023, the all-new Martini Mixer from Callum was developed in collaboration with British Airways and British watchmaker Bremont and gives a quiet nod to everyone's favorite big-screen international (British) spy, James Bond. The muscular mixer flips the Bond script, offering a libation that's stirred, not shaken, whirling up a precisely mixed combination of gin and vermouth in a matter of seconds.
With help from award-winning mixologist Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana), British Airways devised a new "Turbine Martini" to serve as a signature cocktail for its Concorde Room in Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport. The airline commissioned Callum and Bremont to develop the specialized contraption that will see the cocktail through from raw ingredients to iconic conical (iconical?) glassware.
To sum up, that's a British design firm and British watchmaker crafting a device to prepare a British mixologist's particular spin on a classic cocktail made famous by an iconic British anti-hero, to be served by British Airways at the London airport. So a British gin goes without saying, we suppose ... except, it doesn't. The gin in this case is Aviation American Gin, proving, once again, Ryan Reynolds can charm his way into anything.
The Callum Martini Mixer feels like something Q might have put together as a Christmas present for Bond. With help from Bremont, Callum pint-sizes some of the electric motor prowess it's shown previously with the ultrafast-charging Nyobolt EV and Barq scooter, bringing to life a frivolous but impressive piece of e-motored bar decor.
Though it's designed to stir, not shake, the Martini Mixer takes on the form of a heavy-duty industrial-style cocktail shaker. It's machined from food-grade stainless steel 316 billet and designed to hold precise pours of liquid ingredients to be combined into the perfect cocktail.
The specific measurements for the gin, vermouth and bitters come from Lyan's bespoke recipe, which is also integral to the mixer's design and 120- to 160-rpm motor operation. Callum says the gizmo delivers a precise stirring motion meant to balance the "ultimate combination of aeration, dilution and cooling to create a smoother cocktail blend." Sounds like absolute marketing rubbish to us, especially for nearly US$4,000 a pop, but we're sure anyone who pays that money will notice the difference ... if only in their mind.
Once the Martini Mixer's motor kicks on, internal LED lights glow to showcase the electro-mixing process that whips the martini into pour-ready form in less than 15 seconds. The rechargeable battery offers up to 120 minutes of operation, enough for close to 500 martinis.
While Callum's mixer was designed around the martini, we're sure it could be equally useful for other cocktails, though you might need to settle for sub-ultimate levels of aeration, dilution and cooling.
The Martini Mixer is certainly an impressive piece of kit, but at £2,995 (before taxes or shipping, approx. US$3,800), it feels better suited to be a one-off movie prop or piece of commercial lounge flair than a home bartending accessory. That said, if you have the bank account to drop £3K on a whim, it's an enviable gadget and a perfect gift for any Bond or martini lover. If not, perhaps a first-class trip to the Concorde Room in Heathrow is an option – we'll bet the Turbine Martini is pricey, but not $3,800 pricey ... or even $380 deposit pricey.
Sources: British Airways and Callum via The Autopian
