Warwick-based design and engineering company CALLUM has created a modern martini mixer that’s designed and engineered to stir – not shake – the cocktail at the perfect speed. The mixer’s precise motorised stirring motion balances aeration, dilution and cooling to create a smoother cocktail blend, resulting in what the company claims is ‘the ultimate martini’.
The Martini Mixer was created for British Airways’ customers travelling through its exclusive Concorde Room at London Heathrow Terminal 5. It was produced in collaboration with British Airways, luxury British watch maker Bremont and award-winning mixologist Mr Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana). The homegrown British brands have all contributed their expertise to create the specialist mixer, which has been engineered and crafted with exacting precision.
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The CALLUM design team took inspiration from aviation and British Airways’ aircraft for the Martini Mixer’s design and cylindrical form. The mixer’s main body – or ‘combustion chamber’ – has been machined from food-grade stainless steel 316 billet. It encases a borosilicate glass vessel that’s resistant to thermal shock.
Atop the combustion chamber is the ‘turbine’, which acts as the mixer’s control unit. Inside, a motor powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery spins a hollow stainless steel mixing paddle. CALLUM’s engineers executed Mr Lyan’s precise instructions to ensure the paddle rotates at the optimum speed of between 120 and 160 rpm to deliver a perfectly blended and cooled martini in under 15 seconds.
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‘Aviation is at the heart of this fun yet engineering-inspired design,’ said Ian Callum, design director at CALLUM. ‘At CALLUM, we aim to create products that “stir the imagination” – we’ve taken it more literally this time and hope that all who taste a cocktail from the Martini Mixer enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it.
‘We took cues from British Airways’ aircraft in both its form and materials,’ he continued. ‘[Employing] 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. It is finished in the brand’s signature “Gold”, echoing the décor in the exclusive Concorde Room. In the centre of the turbine is a replicated fan nose cone, hand-painted with a white swirl design as per the aircraft.’
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‘CALLUM takes a precise and engineering-led approach with all our products,’ said Adam Donfrancesco, engineering director at CALLUM. ‘The motor inside the mixer’s turbine drives a hollow paddle engineered to move freely through the liquid with minimal resistance. The shape and rotational speed were defined – after guidance from Mr Lyan – on the best way to mix a martini: you’re not trying to blend the liquids; you’re stirring the ice cubes through the liquid to cool the cocktail most efficiently. The paddle moves at 120–160 rpm, depending on the size of the ice cubes, so that in less than 15 seconds, the ultimate martini is created. Once mixing is complete, simply untwist the turbine to stop the paddle spinning, pour and enjoy!’
The Martini Mixer’s stirring action automatically activates when the turbine is tightened and locked into place atop the combustion chamber, thanks to a magnetic start/stop function. This also illuminates interior LEDs, allowing a glimpse of the mixing cocktail through a viewing window.
The sealed turbine houses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that has a generous run time of 120 minutes; the equivalent of around 500 martinis per charge. It can be recharged through a concealed USB-C port.
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The Martini Mixer is accompanied by a machined stainless-steel strainer that continues the turbine graphic, featuring multiple apertures for a smooth pour.
Customers looking to recreate this unique lounge experience can purchase their own Martini Mixer for £2,995 plus VAT, local taxes and shipping (shipping available worldwide). Customer production is set to begin in late 2023, followed by deliveries in 2024.