Features

Ahead of the No Time to Die premiere, David T Smith looks at the Dirty Vodka Martini from SPECTRE. Along with many other 007 fans, I have been re-watching the series in preparation for the release of No Time To Die. As someone who (only slightly metaphysically) lives and breathes cocktails and distilling, I was […]

The Aston Martin DB5, golden girls and atomic plots have all become icons of the James Bond film series. However, while Goldfinger appears to have everything, 007’s signature drink was missing from the mix. While Goldinger features many iconic moments and provided a template for all subsequent Bond films, it may be surprising to learn that the vodka martini […]

While vodka brands are barely mentioned in the books, the films are a different matter. While a bottle of vodka can be anonymous in print, on the big screen there always has to be a label to identify it.   While Ian Fleming named a vodka brand on just one occasion throughout all his novels and short […]

Hearing the words “shaken, not stirred” conjures up the image of James Bond instantly; here we look at the James Bond vodka martini.

Last year I wrote a post in which I proposed seven ideal gift ideas for James Bond fans, and with Christmas once again approaching I’ve decided to revisit the idea. While last year’s post focused on gifts costing less than £80, this year’s ideas are not capped and centred upon lifestyle and experiences. Breakfast at the […]

One of my favourite and most frequently used culinary insights from the James Bond books is the recipe for scrambled eggs from 007 in New York, originally from the US edition of Fleming’s collection of travel writing, Thrilling Cities. Author of the new Bond book Solo, William Boyd, writes his book having been inspired by the […]

While James Bond is well known for his love of vodka martinis, in Ian Fleming’s books he more often drank whisky. And although this was sometimes scotch, from Live And Let Die onwards Bond prefers bourbon instead. However, when you think of James Bond’s background that seems a little curious. As is well known, his father was […]

I have no idea how many shopping days are left until Christmas, and tend to leave it until the last minute anyway, but we were recently asked by VoucherCodes.co.uk to provide a list of Christmas gifts ideal for James Bond fans. The brief was simple; propose five to seven gift ideas, all under £80 and […]

Many years ago (even before Casino Royale was released in 2006), I was consulted on the possibility of making a pre-mixed Vesper. In the end, this came to nothing, so I was interested to see that Master of Malt’s Handmade Cocktail Company had released a bottled Vesper to coincide with the release of the latest […]

There were expectations regarding the potential prominent product placement of Heineken (a lager beer) in the latest Bond instalment, Skyfall. Well, lo and behold, it appeared at least 5 times. It is the first drinks brand that we see, even making the pre-title sequence. Despite its numerous appearances, I didn’t find it that intrusive (and […]