Someone at Mecca must read this blog.

Last time I went there, the bartender actually stirred my martini, didn't shake it. Kudos to him... it was very, very good.

If you're a bartender and need to stir in a hurry, basically just get a spoon and jam down on the ice in a glass. This is very effective and is what I usually see bartenders and restaurants do when they stir the martini.

Oh, also went to House of Prime Rib for my birthday. House of Prime Rib is one of those restaurants where they shake your martini and then leave it in a small shaker. It's amazing that morons on Yelp think this is a good deal, like they're getting more martini for their money. Folks, wake up: you're getting water when they do that. Whenever I get one of those, I basically take a sip, then a gulp of my martini and refill my glass as fast as possible. Then I just leave the shaker. Don't worry, you're leaving water behind, and very little gin.

If you were really getting a good deal, don't you think they'd give you a bigger glass instead of leaving the shaker behind?

Exactly.