Bruising

A discredited myth that shaking gin damages its flavor.

'Bruising the gin' is a phrase that will not die, usually deployed to argue Martinis must be stirred. Gin is a stable spirit at 40+% ABV; it cannot be bruised in any chemical sense. Martinis are stirred because shaking aerates and clouds a clear, spirit-forward drink — an aesthetic and textural choice, not a mercy to the botanicals.