What makes the ultimate Martini? Well, Mr Bond would be disappointed that it's all about the stir, not the shake. Which is exactly what this new luxury cocktail mixer – created by the British design and engineering consultancy Callum in collaboration with flag-carrier airline British Airways, watch-maker Bremont, and mixologist Mr Lyan – is all about.
The Martini Mixer, as it's so aptly named, spins its contents at between 120 to 160 revolutions per minute – aping the British Airways-inspired turbine engine shape of the mixer itself – to deliver a perfectly blended Martini in just 15 seconds. And it's the coolest thing I've ever seen – although not so cool to the touch, apparently, as its borosilicate glass vessel is "resistant to thermal shock for the ultimate iced cocktail".
If you love to fly then you'll have the chance to see and, indeed, experience this British luxury cocktail mixer in action – but only if you fly on British Airways' First Class, dahling, as it's housed in the flag-carrier's top-tier lounge, the Concorde Room, at London Heathrow's Terminal 5.
While I usually spend my days writing about the latest and greatest consumer tech on the planet – it all comes as part of the job – the Martini Mixer crosses boundaries in a sense, as its built-in li-ion battery can run for 120 minutes per charge and, if you were to work flat-out, deliver "around 500 Martinis per charge". Now that's a far cry from a laptop battery streaming test, and I'd be sozzled by the end, but I'm game to test it out.
The collaboration of so many stalwart British brands and icons is great to see fused into the one final product. Talking through the design process, Ian Callum, the design director at Callum, puts it eloquently: "We took cues from British Airways’ aircraft in both its form and materials. A sleek, almost aerodynamic design, it has no external switches to disrupt its lines. Within the mixer’s control head unit, and encased in glass, is a decorative turbo fan machined from aluminium and inspired by turbofan engines on British Airways’ aircraft ... In the centre of the turbine is a replicated fan nose cone, hand-painted with a white swirl design as per the aircraft."
If you fall foul of not flying international First – or aren't one of British Airways' Gold Guest List elite members of its Executive Club, who also gain access – then not all is lost. Because you can also kit out your own at-home personal bar with one of these very attractive cocktail mixers. Should you have a spare £2,995 (plus VAT, so £3,594 total in the UK by my calculation), that is, with a £300 deposit downpayment possible at Callum Designs' website right now.
Well, next time T3 is at T5 (see what I did there?), I'll have to see if I can get my nose into the Concorde Room for British Airways to stir up a Turbine Martini before my next flight. Might need a few, actually, just to take the edge off being at the back of the bus. I'd best load up on my Netflix downloads in advance – and probably in 4K UHD, too, as I'm going to need the resolution benefit after a couple of tipples...
