Shaken? Stirred? Olive? Twist? Gin? Vodka … or something completely different?

Few subjects will rile up a cocktail connoisseur like how to correctly serve a martini.

And then there are the completely out-of-the-box preparations that have cropped up to open up the debate even further. From the post-“Sex and the City” cosmopolitan trend to the glut of neon-green appletinis to the current buzz around the espresso martini, from lychee to chai tea to cotton candy to pico de gallo, any flavor or color can work in a chilled, stemmed glass — if the recipe is right.

“We’ve gone off the rails lately,” laughed Kelsie Sinagra, general manager at Bar Botanico in Lawrenceville. “We’re going to have a Greek salad martini that’ll be on the docket soon.”

The classic cocktail’s origin may be contentious, but we do know that the martini has been around since the 19th century. It’s not a complicated recipe, but that makes it all the more difficult to perfect – for a drink with such a short ingredient list, it’s infinitely customizable.

But for those uninterested in the alcohol-forward bare-bones cocktail, bartenders have spent decades widening their repertoires and trying every ingredient under the sun to put their own twist on the original.

Whether you’re looking to cosplay James Bond or try something totally different, these drinks have you covered.

Keeping it classic

A martini, in its simplest form, is two parts gin and one part vermouth straight up in a glass.

But that’s not even close to the whole story.

Andrew Poluszejko, general manager of fl.2, the bar and restaurant at the Fairmont in Downtown Pittsburgh, said that they get a near equal balance between patrons ordering gin and vodka martinis. While vodka isn’t the most traditional spirit for the drink, it’s a long-accepted alternative.

“It depends on the crowd,” he said. “Whether it be after work or if you’re going to a Penguins game or Pirates game, it just depends on who’s coming in.”

He said that he prefers the gin version of the cocktail.

“I love the botanicals of them. Especially in my two favorite gins, Monkey 47 and Sipsmith,” Poluszejko said. “You can make a really good martini with those.”

Kimberly Fredenberg, bar manager at Bar Nine in Greensburg, said that the vodka martini is the more popular application at her bar.

“I usually assume vodka. I do ask, but vodka is definitely more popular,” she said.

Sinagra said that she prefers gin so much that she spent a lot of time perfecting their version of a classic martini. It’s called the white whale, and it’s made with Grey Whale gin, Hayman’s Old Tom gin, Iris Blanco Vermut, toasted almond and olive oil.

“It’s kind of a staple now that we’ve had for years, and I don’t see her going anywhere. She’s got quite a following,” Sinagra said.

The olive oil is a nod to the most common garnish for a martini, a green olive. But that’s by no means the only option for those who want to keep it simple.

For example, Poluszejko prefers a gin martini with a twist, or a lemon peel.

“I like to have that citrus forward where I can smell it on the top but also just get a taste of it on the rim as well,” he said.

There’s another option that the experts were quick to point out: the cocktail onion.

“Then you’ll be having Gibsons,” Poluszejko said, noting that the name of the drink does change with the switch-up in accoutrements.

Fredenberg is a huge fan of olives, so she’ll stick with the expected garnish.

“I love olives. I love the bleu cheese-stuffed ones, the garlic-stuffed ones, just give me a bowl of olives,” she said.

Fredenberg also said that pickles or cornichons can be an “excellent” swap for olives, if you don’t enjoy the more common fruity accompaniment.

Sinagra is very flexible when it comes to the garnish on her classic martinis.

“It depends on the gin I’m drinking, if I think citrus is going to make it more vibrant or if I want something salty,” she said.

Then there’s the controversy started by James Bond: shaken or stirred?

Many alcohol lovers insist that shaken martinis are objectively worse because they cause the drink to get colder and have more contact with smaller chips of ice, thus watering it down. While the experts typically stir their drinks, they don’t have a problem with the workout from shaking.

“I think there’s merit to both styles, but I like clean, ice-chip-free, very cold and crisp martinis,” Sinagra said, declaring that she always stirs.

Fredenberg, on the other hand, is a fan of the ice chips that come in a shaken martini.

“I’ve gotten used to assuming it’s shaken because the people who prefer it stirred, that’s just part of the order,” she said.

Tasting the rainbow

Flavored martinis may spell sacrilege to some, but they’re big business. Sinagra said that she doesn’t even have an espresso martini on her menu and they still make loads of them.

“It’s one of our top sellers every night,” she said.

fl.2 also has a very popular espresso martini, which Poluszejko described with gusto.

“Making sure there’s a balance between the espresso, the vodka and just making sure there’s a touch of everything else needed. It’s well balanced, it’s not overly sweet, it’s not overly strong.”

The drink is made carefully with Tito’s vodka, espresso, Kahlua and butterscotch.

At Bar Nine, Fredenberg fondly recalls a s’mores espresso martini that they featured last year.

“We were freshly toasting marshmallows in front of everyone,” she said.

But one of Fredenberg’s favorite variations is the highly versatile lemon drop, typically made with two parts vodka, one part lemon juice, one part simple syrup and a half part triple sec.

“Lemon drop martinis never fail,” she said. Bar Nine also has lots of fruity purees and juices, so she loves jazzing up the martinis with different flavors, from blackberry to lychee to other types of citrus.

As far as Fredenberg is concerned, the sky is the limit for this iconic drink.

“To get down with a genuine martini, I have to be in the mood,” she said. “But I love the flavored ones. I love different variations of ones with whiskeys, tequilas, you know? Tons of different flavors.”