License to swill: drink like the literary James Bond, Part 2

November 15, 3:16 AMBook ExaminerMichelle Kerns

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Now that you've learned how to drink scotch and sodas, vodka AND gin martinis, and Americanos Bond-style (see Drink like James Bond, Part 1), let's delve into some other 007 favorites featured in Fleming's novels and short stories, from the Old-Fashioned to the ill-fated Vesper Martini.

Old Fashioned

Bond indulged in 4 of these in the original Fleming novels, most notably in Live and Let Die when, travelling through New Jersey on the Silver Phantom with Solitaire, Bond orders Old Fashioneds from the attendant and specifically asks for Old Grand-Dad Bourbon to be used in them.

Mix 1 tsp of sugar (or 1 sugar cube) with a splash of water and two dashes of Angostura bitters in the bottom of a highball glass. Add an orange slice and a maraschino cherry. Fill the glass with ice, add 2 oz Old Grand-Dad Bourbon and stir.

Stinger

These are enjoyed by Bond (all 3 of them) exclusively in Diamonds are Forever where he imbibes them in the presence of Tiffany Case.  Actually, it's odd that Fleming didn't include Stingers in his novels more; they happened to be the favorite drink of one of his best friends, author Evelyn Waugh. But then again, considering that Bond is a man's man and white creme de menthe is, frankly, a bit girly (and completely disgusting in my opinion), I guess it's not too difficult to understand his reasons.

1 1/2 oz brandy (Bond favored Calvados and Hennessy)

1/2 oz White Creme de Menthe

Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass

 

Black Velvet

Bond orders a Black Velvet when he goes out to lunch in London in Diamonds are Forever at Scotts, a pub that has been open since 1851 (please, stay open long enough for me to get there). Guinness and Champagne may sound just a bit shy of ipecac, but it is a delight, particularly if you have a taste for Guinness and/or hard cider.

1 part Guinness Stout

1 part chilled Champagne, preferably Tattinger

Pour the Guinness into a pint glass; pour the Champagne on top. Proceed directly to Heaven.

Irish Coffee

In Diamonds are Forever, Bond has steak and Champagne for dinner at the Shannon Airport in Ireland followed by a

wonderful goblet of hot coffee laced with Irish whiskey and topped with half an inch of thick cream.

Yum.

4 oz strong black coffee

1 1/2 oz Irish whiskey

2 - 3 sugar cubes, or to taste

Heavy cream, well-chilled

Whisk the cream lightly so it is thick but can still be poured. Fill a pre-heated glass goblet with the coffee, whisky, sugar, and stir.

Touch the surface of the coffee with the bowl of a spoon; pour the cream over the back of the spoon, floating it on top of the coffee -- don't mix the cream into the coffee.

 

Negroni

Bond downs his one and only Negroni of the books in "Risico," a short story included in For Your Eyes Only. 

1 oz gin (Bond specifically asked for Gordon's)

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz Campari

Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serve with an orange slice.

Pink Gin 

While this may sound like some kind of chick drink, it is anything but. In fact, it was one of Mr. Fleming's beverages of choice and he was a man who knew and appreciated his liquor.

2 oz gin

2 - 4 dashes of Angostura bitters

Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

 (insert wolf whistle here)

The Vesper Martini

The drink that Bond creates in Casino Royale and later names after his duplicitous and doomed love Vesper Lynd easily takes first place in the Literary Cocktail Hall of Fame.

Bond specifies to the barman:

Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large slice of lemon peel. Got it?

However, as Eric Felten says in his book How's Your Drink? "When Bond finds out she'd [Vesper Lynd] been working for the Russkies, the cocktail is as dead to him as the girl."

It's tough to improve on such a recipe; however, make sure that the vodka is a Russian grain vodka--Bond preferred them that way.

If you missed the first set of Bond drinks, be sure to check out Drink like James Bond, Part 1. And don't forget that the ultimate breakdown of all the drinks consumed by Bond, his ladies, and his various villians is coming up, along with the 007 Hangover Cure.

If you simply cannot wait that long, take a look at the Book Examiner's ultimate guide to pairing alcohol and literature.