Shaken and not stirred is the motto of Sapori?s ?Strictly Martini? Happy Hours.

The new owners Paolo Schulz and Sharon Mallory decided that it was a good idea to combine a new menu with new trends in martinis.

And during an interview, decided to test the quality of both the food and the martinis.

The martinis range from traditional to something completely off the hook: the Apple Pie Martini. But out of the three the Chocolate Martini was by far the best.

There is also a Strawberry and Basil Martini and a Jamaican Punch.

The martini combinations were designed by both head waiter Francesco Desideri and Claudia Innocenti and when requested are made by one of their bartenders.

Mr. Desideri?s love of mixing liquors dates back to his college years.

?Most teenagers? idols are sports people, from media or singers, but mine was people working behind the bar,? he said.

?I was inspired by the movie ?Cocktails? and Tom Cruise was my idol.?

But although one would think that with the above statement he would be emulating them.

He said: ?No, because I have been trained and did jobs in places where when you were nice and tidy was the situation, rather than a circus act.

?I do some tossing bottles with friends, but I don?t do a show.?

His passion for the martini comes from the shape of the glass.

?There are a lot of legends and stories surrounding the martini glass,? he said.

?The first martini was the Classic Gin Martini, and it was 50-50 with the Martini Dry and that was the beginning of it. But the glass comes from a big champagne glass and it has the right shape of beautiful female breasts and it makes the glass even more interesting.

?From history people like (the author Ernest) Hemingway who drank martinis, Frank Sinatra getting drunk after five, and so on and they are always talking about their martinis.

?It is something that is made to enjoy around the bar and for people who are having a good time out drinking.

?The difference between the martini and high balls is that it has a larger percentage of alcohol. In that you have the flavour, the juice and the inspiration to make the taste because it is mostly alcohol. There is very little room for mistakes and on top of that it is not a big glass and that is why a lot of bartenders love to challenge their knowledge and their ability.?

While bartending in Italy, he won the Bacardi Martini Award.

?I started the competition for fun in Florence and I came fifth place in the World Wide Martini competition,? he said.

?We ended up challenging the top martini makers in the world. At the end of the day the nice thing about it, was not the competition itself, it was the atmosphere, everyone was inspired and there were people with the same meaning and with the same interest.?

While in university studying to become a systems engineer he worked in a bar and also as a waiter.

?A lot of guys do this to get money for their own expenses,? he said.

?It was then that I started to like this kind of life where you can sleep in the morning and have a good time and work in the evening.?

After working in some of the best places in the UK, America and Europe, he decided to work as a systems engineer, but found that he was not a nine to five person.

Mr. Schulz and Ms Mallory decided to go into business together when the previous owners decided to sell.

?It was a combination, and even though Sharon has not really been in the business, she is a local person who understands and she adds a different touch,? Mr. Schulz said.

?Myself I have worked here, in London for a long time and in New York.

?So when we started we decided to bring people who would bring a different vibe, so Francesco, he works here in the restaurant, and the chef has worked in England for a long time, but we have tried to build a nice team.

Ms Mallory added that she wanted to do something different.

?I?ve always been in the office administration industry and I figured that this was a good change,? she said.

?I think it fits my personality and Francesco can teach me how to make martinis. So it was the right combination.?

Since they took over the place the first thing they did was to change the image and the prices, said Mr. Schulz.

?The idea was to refresh and to make it more comfortable.

?We would also like to emphasise the bar. The whole point for me and Sharon is to have a restaurant that is comfortable and relaxed.

?We also changed the menu as well. What we noticed was that our customers were not coming that often and we were really thinking about giving them value for money.

?With our new menu the prices are down by about 20 percent. At the end of the day, people aren?t stupid. Customers want to be able to go out more than once a month and we want to give them the opportunity to have a nice meal, in a nice place without having to spend an obscene amount of money.?

The menu is now more Mediterranean, the pair explained.

?But the emphasis is on Italian,? said Ms Mallory.

?We are also planning to add a Caribbean section to the menu and I think it will be a nice twist.?

On Thursdays they are looking at having Jazz Under the Stars with a live jazz band so that patrons can dance the night away.

?You want to be able to eat your meal and have everything all in one,? said Ms Mallory.

?As opposed to eating your meal and going somewhere else to find a dance.?

Rather than just having a regular Happy Hour, Mr. Schulz said they planned to specialise on the martini.

?It is only for martinis,? he said. Normally martinis are quite expensive, but we are trying to sell them at the price of high balls. On top of that if a couple have four martinis they have one free. And if they want to stay for dinner, there is a ten percent discount off their meal. It is just the combination of the two and it is everyday from Monday to Sunday.?

For more information on both the Happy Hour and dining (236-7201.