“When M. poured him three fingers from the frosted carafe Bond took a pinch of black pepper and dropped it on the surface of the vodka. The pepper slowly settled to the bottom of the glass leaving a few grains on the surface which Bond dabbed up with the tip of a finger. Then he tossed the cold liquor well to the back of his throat and put his glass, with the dregs of the pepper at the bottom, back on the table.”
By the time of Thunderball Bond’s daily intake of spirits is around half a bottle of spirits, hence his much needed stay in a health farm ordered by M, but far from the simple “Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred” and Champagne of the films, James Bond likes a variety of drinks.
In no particular order, these include:
- Cocktails such as the Vodka Martini, the Dry Martini, the Vesper, the Old-Fashioned, the Negroni and the Americano.
- Russian vodka drunk neat and ice cold with caviar or smoked salmon. In Moscow he picked up the habit of dropping a pinch of black pepper on the surface of the drink that sinks to the bottom taking the impurities with it, but he got to like the taste.
- Ten year old Cliquot, Dom Perignon, Krug, Pommery or Taittinger champagne served with Beluga caviar or scrambled eggs.
- Beefeater or Gordon’s gin drunk with tonic and plenty of Angostura bitters plus the juice of a fresh lime if available.
- Three fingers of Bourbon served in a tumbler half filled with ice, swilled around to cool it and then drunk in two long draughts, the glass refilled and then drunk slowly.
- In Turkey Bond drinks Raki, which he finds identical with Greek Ouzo and Kavaklidere, “a rich course burgundy like any other Balkan wine”.
- Brandy with soda with a couple of Phensic tablets as a hangover cure, or on the rocks after encountering the wrath of Count Lippe in Thunderball. Ocasionally Hennessy’s Three Star as a finale to a French dinner or brandy with ginger ale on long air trips.
- Kina Lillet
- Smirnoff Black recipes - The Vesper
- Smirnoff Black recipes - 007 Black Martini
- Smirnoff Black recipes - Quantum of Solace
- Smirnoff Black recipes - Black Tie
- Kina Lillet returns in Quantum of Solace
- James Bond drinks: the Americano
Related links
“The James Bond Cocktail Bar” ebook
