james bond drink brands

Major drink brands from 50 years of 007 movies

David Leigh

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James Bond Drink Brands: major drink brands from 50 years of 007 movies Copyright 2014 David Leigh. All rights reserved. This book is in no way affiliated with Ian Fleming Publications, Danjaq LLC, Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures or any related company. No part of this book may be reproduced or redistributed by any electronic or mechanical means (including but not limited to information storage and retrieval systems, microdots, ciphers, scans and photocopies) without express written permission from the author except for review or research purposes in which case short extracts may be reproduced. This edition (1.0): May 2014

For more information on 007s drinks visit:

www.JamesBondDrinks.com

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Contents

Contents ...................................................... 2

Also by David Leigh ................................... 5

Introduction ................................................. 6

Vodka ........................................................ 10

Champagne ............................................... 14

Whisky ...................................................... 20

Vermouth & fortified wine ....................... 22

Beer ........................................................... 24

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Also by David Leigh

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Introduction Product placement is something that we hear more and more about these years in films and recently many people have accused the producers of the James Bond films from selling out. In some respects this can be true. Flemings Bond wore a Rolex, as did all the Bond actors prior to Pierce Brosnan. However, a sponsorship deal saw Brosnans Bond trade in his Rolex and has worn Omega watches ever since. Another example might be Smirnoff vodka. The American brand has an association with the Bond films going back to Dr No although Bonds preference was for Russian or Polish vodka. While I dont know if the company paid to appear in the early Bond films, in recent years the brand has certainly paid in more recent films. However, with such a long association with 007, it was curious the brand did not appear in Skyfall. On the other hand, the James Bond books are full of brand names; Morland cigarettes, Taittinger champagne, a Ronson lighter, the Rolex. As Ian Fleming said, why name a hotel The Porchester in his writing when he can use The Dorchester; not that he was always consistent with this.

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Skyfall was reported to have raised $45 million through product placement deals with a number of major brands, which is a large proportion of the total film budget. This leads to the question: is it worth it? For those brands paying to be associated with 007 the answer is clearly, yes. It is difficult, if not impossible, to actually measure the benefit though and so much of it must be done on gut feel. What would be interesting to know though is the effectiveness of a product used by 007 himself, compare with other appearances. How many more units does James Bond sell, compared with another character using the same product? How much does the brand benefit from appearing in the background, dressing the set? Heineken has an association with Bond going back to Tomorrow Never Dies, yet Skyfall is the first film in which we see Bond drinking it. That must be more effective; but Heineken must have paid more too. Was it worth it? While I am not in a position to answer that question, this short book features the principal drink brands to have appeared in the James Bond movies, as well as some not so major ones that might be considered important, such as vermouth.

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I hope you enjoy the book and if you have any questions would love to hear from you. You can contact me on the email address below. David Leigh Girona, May 2014 www.TheJamesBondDossier.com [email protected]

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Vodka

As the principal ingredient of James Bonds martinis it is little surprise to find a major vodka brand in the movies. In the books only one brand of vodka was ever mention, Wolfschmidt, which Bond drinks neat while dining with M, although does specify Russian or Polish vodka on at least one occasion.

Smirnoff The first drink James Bond ever orders in the film series occurs in Dr No, when a medium dry vodka martini is served in his Kingston hotel room. The drink is mixed with Smirnoff Red, thus becoming the first of several drink brands associated with 007 over the years. The film also sees Bond drinking the higher strength Blue label, after he suspects the Red has been tampered with.

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He also finds a bottle of Blue label at Miss Taros apartment. Smirnoff next appears in Thunderball, when Bond serves himself Smirnoff Blue, to which he adds ice and Cinzano, and then in Diamonds Are Forever when staying at the Tropicana. After that 007 takes a break from Smirnoff until Octopussy, when a bottle of Blue label is seen in Octopussys room; and next in Goldeneye when Zukovsky, pours a glass of Smirnoff Black. Bond also drinks neat Smirnoff Red in Tomorrow Never Dies, while in his hotel room as Paris Carver lets herself in. And next time he sees Zukovsky, in The World Is Not Enough, he is served a couple of shots of Black label. While Smirnoff is mentioned in the credits of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, there is no obvious onscreen appearance of Smirnoff in either film other than if you look hard enough in the bar scenes it is there. In Casino Royale there are a couple of bottles of Red label, while in the follow up it looks like Bonds Vespers were made with Black label, seen in the bar on the aeroplane. However, the brand did not appear in Skyfall, despite the hefty $45 million raised through product placement deals for the film. Instead Bond orders a vodka martini (or possibly

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Vesper) at the Golden Dragon Casino made with Grey Goose vodka. Although Smirnoff was originally Russian, it had been based in the United States since the 1930s and was banned from sale in the Soviet Union; today the company is British owned.

Stolichnaya Given vodkas association with Russia and since 007 comes up against the Russians so often, you might expect to find a genuine Russian vodka in the films. It is therefore somewhat surprising to find that it wasnt until You Only Live Twice that Bond is served a Russian vodka when Dikko Henderson serves his vodka martini stirred, not shaken made with Stolichnaya. Stoli first came to prominence in the 1950s when it won a gold medal at the 1953 International Trade Show in Bern; 1953 also saw the publication of Casino Royale, which makes Stolichnaya a fitting drink for James Bond. However, it appears only infrequently in the films. After that first appearance, it was not until the beginning of A View To A Kill that the brand shares screen time with 007. After escaping with the microchip Bond makes his escape in a mini-sub, which has luckily been fitted out with a bar containing a bottle of Stoli.

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The brand reappears in the following film, The Living Daylights, when Kara mixes 007 a vodka martini. Unfortunately he fails to notice it has been spiked with chloral hydrate and collapses into unconsciousness. And while he doesnt drink Stoli in Licence To Kill, it can been seen at the end of the film when Bond is talking to Leiter on the phone.

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Champagne

The other drink often associated with James Bond is Champagne. Although Bonds stated preference was for Taittinger in the books, in the early films it tended to be Dom Perignon. However, Bollinger has been the Bond champagne house for many years now much in the same way Rolex was ditched in favour of Omega when Pierce Brosnan took over the role.

Taittinger Although this is Bonds favoured Champagne house in the books, the marque only appears in a single film. At the start of From Russia With Love, Bond cools a bottle of Taittinger Blanc de Blanc attached to a piece of string in the river while picnicking with Sylvia Trench share a picnic on the bank. Later Bond orders a bottle on the Orient Express when dining with Tania and Grant, when the latter commits the faux pas of ordering red wine with fish.

Dom Perignon Bond is served a glass of Dom Perignon while dining with Dr No, but does not touch it. Later, when he grabs a bottle to use as a weapon Dr No

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tells him; Thats a Dom Perignon 55. It would be a pity to break it. I prefer the 53 myself, is Bonds reply. And it is the Dom Perignon 53 that has lost its chill in Goldfinger, requiring Bond to get another bottle from the fridge for himself and Jill Masterson. Knocked unconscious, he wakes to find her gold painted corpse on the bed. In Bonds next adventure, Thunderball, he is still drinking Dom Perignon. Presumably hed drunk the 53 dry as he orders a bottle of 55 to go with the Beluga caviar he shares with Domino. Mr Osato offers Bond a glass of Dom Perignon 59 in You Only Live Twice, while in George Lazenbys solo outing as 007, On Her Majestys Secret Service, he orders a bottle of 57 in the casino with Tracy; Blofeld later serves her Dom Perignon at Piz Gloria. In Live And Let Die both Bollinger and Dom Perignon get some screen time (Bond shares a bottle of the latter with Rosie Carver), while Nick Nack greets him with a glass of the 64 when he arrives on Scaramanagas island hideaway in The Man With The Golden Gun. I prefer the 62 myself, he replies as Scaramanga shoots the cork from the bottle,

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echoing Sean Connerys response to Dr No; there is no pleasing some people. And when Bond and Anya make their escape in Strombergs escape pod at the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, he finds a bottle of Dom Perignon 52, remarking Any man who drinks Dom Perignon 52 cant be all bad! But that was the end of Dom Perignons association with the James Bond movies, after which Bollinger took over.

Bollinger While Bollinger sometimes appears in the pages of Ian Flemings novels, the brand has become most associated with 007 through its appearance in the movies. The brand first appeared in Live And Let Die, although it shared screen time with Dom Perignon. Bollinger is first mentioned in the closing credits of Moonraker, after bottles are seen in a number of scenes, including on board the aeroplane seen in the pre-titles sequence, and is later name checked when Holly Goodhead instructs Bond to pour himself a drink while in her hotel room. Bollinger. If its 69, you were expecting me, he wisecracks. At the end of the film Jaws and Dolly find a bottle of Bollinger on Draxs space

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station, which he opens with his teeth before serving two glasses. The champagne next appears in Octopussy, and has appeared in every Bond film since. When Bond visits her quarters Octopussy serves herself a glass while 007 enjoys a vodka martini, a rare occurrence in Roger Moores films. General Orlov, Kamal Khan and the eponymous jewel smuggler later share another bottle on the train in Germany, while in A View To A Kill Bond recognizes the 75 when dining with Monsieur Aubergine in the Eiffel Tower restaurant (Jules Verne). Maz Zorin also serves the brand at his party. The Living Daylights saw a change of actor in the leading role, but the champagne remained. When General Koskov defects, 007 buys him a bottle of Bollinger RD from Harrods. At Felix Leiters marriage in Licence To Kill the champagne is Bollinger and later, when Bond arrives in Isthmus City, he orders a case of Bollinger RD to be sent to the hotel suite he shares with Pam Bouvier; the brand pops up in several other scenes. With Goldeneye came a new 007 and a new M. However, one constant was Bonds endorsement of Bollinger. The champagne first appears when Bond is undergoing evaluation by MI6 psychologist, Caroline. Flipping open the armrest of his DB5, Bond produces a bottle of Bollinger Grand Annee 1988, while the brand is

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also served to guests at the Tiger helicopter reception. In Tomorrow Never Dies Bond and his Danish tutor appear to be drinking Bollinger in Oxford, although label is hidden by an ice bucket. Presumably the brand is served at the Carver Media Group Network launch party; while Paris Carver orders Bond a vodka martini, she asks for glass of champagne rather than the tequila Bond tells the waiter to bring for her. In the follow up, The World Is Not Enough Bollinger again makes an appearance. When Bond is in bed with Elektra at her villa there is a bottle of Bollinger in an ice bucket, while Bond and Christmas Jones toast the New Year in Istanbul with champagne. Pierce Brosnans final outing as Bond, Die Another Day, sees him escape MI6 custody after a prisoner exchange with North Korea and immediately make for a luxury hotel in Hong Kong after his months of captivity. He asks the hotel manager for a bottle of Bollinger 61, although the bottle later seen sitting in an ice bucket appears to be non-vintage. Later on, in bed with Jinx, a bottle of champagne is seen briefly in an ice bucket. When Daniel Craig took over the role Bond he remained true to Bollinger. Speaking to room service in the Bahamas, he order a bottle of Bollinger to be sent to Solanges suite in Casino

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Royale, while in Quantum of Solace he and Fields share a bottle in their hotel suite; guests are served champagne at Dominic Greens reception also. Bollinger also appears in Skyfall; Bond drops his earpiece into Eves (full) champagne flute and later buys Severine a glass of champagne in the Golden Dragon Casino. Later, as Severine awaits Bonds appearance on her boat a bottle of Bollinger is on ice in the centre of the table, along with two champagne flutes. Although no announcements have yet been made regarding product placement in Bond 24, it is safe to bet that Bollinger will return.

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Whisky

While vodka martini is the drink most associated with 007, James Bond more frequently drinks whisky in the books. However, the drink reoccurs throughout the film series too, most noticeably in Skyfall, when 007 imbibes various Macallan whiskies throughout. Brands are not always mentioned though, such as in On Her majestys Secret Service, when Bond orders a malt whisky and branch water at Piz Gloria; more recently, in both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Bond drinks unidentified whiskies. However, those that can be identifed are listed below.

Black & White At Puss Fellers in Dr No, Bond, Quarrel and Felix Leiter share a bottle of Black & White scotch in the scene when Bond has his photo taken.

Suntory In You Only Live Twice, Bond drinks Suntory Old Whisky in the garden of Tigers home. In the book of the same name Bond is dismissive of

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Suntory; instead he drinks saki and Jack Daniels.

Jack Daniels Purists will tell you that Jack Daniels is a Tennesee whiskey rather than a bourbon, which is how M refers to it in Goldeneye; she offers Bond a glass Black Label in their first meeting.

Talisker By the time of The World Is Not Enough M has switched from Jack Daniels to Talisker. Bond realises Sir Robert King is in danger when he notices his fingers fizzing after putting ice in his drink. A bottle can also be seen in Ms office in Die Another Day, but since Bonds whisky in the virtual reality sequence is served from a decanter it is impossible to say the same.

The Macallan Skyfall prominently featured several products of this single malt Scotch house, including the extremely rare 1962, included in the film to celebrate fifty years of James Bond movies. Bond grabs a bottle of the 10 year old Fine Oak from behind the bar, while enjoying death after disappearing in Turkey and when he reappears in Ms apartment later he is swigging from a bottle of 12 year old Sherry Oak. M has a bottle in her office; and Silva serves Bond a shot of The Macallan 1962 on his island lair.

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Vermouth & fortified wine

While a vodka martini is comprised mainly of vodka, it also requires the herbal flavourings imparted by vermouth.

Martini Extra Dry Modern vermouth originates from Turin in Italy where the best-known vermouth producer, Martini & Rossi, originates. As you might expect, Martini Extra Dry is often seen in the background, but also sometimes appears more prominently, such as the scene in Diamonds Are Forever when Bond is in the bath with a bottle of Martini perched on the edge. The company also produced marketing materials surrounding The Living Daylights as well as martini glasses with bearing the inscription Martini & Rossi 007 Shaken Not Stirred.

Cinzano Like Martini & Rossi, Cinzano originally hails from Turin. It appears in Thunderball, when Bond mixes a martini on the rocks with Smirnoff vodka. Smirnoff also used it in the 007 Classic Martini, published to coincide with Tomorrow Never Dies.

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Kina Lillet Kina Lillet is used in the recipe for the Vesper, the cocktail that Bond invents in Casino Royale. Commentators such as Kingsley Amis pointed out that Kina Lillet was too bitter and would have made the drink unpalatable, while Ian Fleming himself, in a letter to the Manchester Guardian, wrote that when he eventually tried the Vesper it was undrinkable. While Bond stipulates Kina Lillet in the 2006 film, there is no such product still in existence. The name is long gone and the product was reformulated in the 1980s to reduce the amount of quinine that lent the drink its bitter flavour. Instead, what is seen in the film is Lillet Blanc; similar, but not the same thing at all. Many people prefer to use Cocci Americano instead of the Kina Lillet in their Vespers, or you can add a dash or two of bitters to the shaker. Kina lAvion dOr is another recent product that attempts to create this classic product with the bitterness remaining, although it is not widely available.

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Beer James Bond would never drink beer, would he? That seems to be the view of the media and many fans, who were aghast when it was announced that Skyfall would include a scene in which 007 would drink Heineken. However, as so often with the media, they were wrong on so many counts.

Heineken In 2012 it was announced that product placement deals worth $45 million would go towards Skyfall. Reports in the media stated Bond was ditching his trademark vodka martinis in favour of the Dutch beer, with many reports erroneously reporting that Heineken was paying $45 million; that was the amount paid by all official partners. However, the outrage by media and fans alike missed something. First, Bond does drink beer; sometimes at least. Ian Fleming name checked a number of beers in the books and while its certainly not his first choice in a bar, Bond downs several steins of German lager in the book On Her Majestys Secret Service. And what if I told you Skyfall wasnt even Daniel Craigs first time drinking beer as Bond?

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Its true. Watch Quantum of Solace; he and Felix drink a bottle of beer when they meet in a Bolivian bar, shortly before the US Special Forces go in to nab Bond. Skyfall came and went with barely a mention of Heineken. Bond is briefly seen in bed holding a bottle and other characters are also seen with the beer, but Bond hardly seems to have ditched his vodka martinis for it. In fact, the real contender for that would have to be The Macallan scotch, which he is seen drinking throughout the film. Although Skyfall is the first film in which 007 drinks Heineken, the brands relationship with the Bond films actually goes back to Tomorrow Never Dies where it appears in the Saigon motorbike chase. The company launched an advertising campaign to coincide with the film, and there has been a Heineken related ad campaign for every 007 movie since.

Red Stripe Quarrel is drinking a bottle of Red Stripe when Bond visits Puss Fellers bar. Although 007 doesnt actually drink the Jamaican beer, he does later push both Quarrel and Puss Feller into a stack of crates of Red Stripe. Red Stripe is also mentioned in some of the books, with Bond even drinking the beer in The Man With The Golden Gun.

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If you would like to find out more about James Bond and drinks youll love my book The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond. Named Best UK book on cocktails by the judges of the 2014 World Gourmand Awards, the book covers all drinks from Ian Flemings novels and the Eon film series.

Buy now

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David LeighContentsAlso by David LeighIntroductionVodkaSmirnoffStolichnaya

ChampagneTaittingerDom PerignonBollinger

WhiskyBlack & WhiteSuntoryJack DanielsTaliskerThe Macallan

Vermouth & fortified wineMartini Extra DryCinzanoKina Lillet

BeerHeinekenRed Stripe

james bond drink brands

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