Belvedere & Bond

Ten years ago, Belvedere Vodka collaborated with James Bond in the film “Sceptre” starring Daniel Craig.

As all 007 aficionados will know, Bond has a rich history of vodka drinking – both in films and in the original Ian Fleming books. He especially loved a Vodka Martini and was especially specific about the glasses in which it was served.

He was big into other glasses too. After retiring from the Secret Service, he opened an opticians in Orpington. It was called: “For Four Eyes Only”.

That’s not true. But the vodka-soaked Bond facts below are.

Bond in Literature

Famous for his discernment in all things, James Bond is at his most imperious when ordering
and appreciating drinks.

In Dr No (published 1958) when confronted with the eponymous villain himself for the first
time, Bond knew what he wanted: “I would like a medium Vodka dry Martini – with a slice of
lemon peel. Shaken and not stirred please. I would prefer Russian or Polish vodka.”

Bond’s ability to know the difference in all good things in life was carried from books to films
where undoubtedly part of the enduring appeal in what has come to be called the Bond
lifestyle.

Bond in Film; The Early Years

Sure enough, Bond’s first cinematic vodka martini appeared in the debutant Bond film, Dr No
(1963). On assignment in Jamaica, a white‐jacketed steward, makes and then offers Bond his
first with the words “One medium dry vodka martini, mixed like you said Sir, and not stirred. “
Later in the same film, when Dr No himself offers Bond a drink he does so with the introduction
“One dry martini ‐ lemon peel ‐ shaken not stirred.” “Vodka?” questions Bond. “Of course”
retorts Dr No.

Shaken not stirred though the years
So insistent was Bond that his vodka martini was to be “shaken not stirred” that the phrase
itself entered the lexicon, and in 2005 was selected as one of the 100 most famous lines in film.
Only once did Bond deviate from his preference for shaken not stirred. In You Only Live Twice
(1967) when Henderson, our man in Tokyo, passed him a vodka martini with the enquiring line

“That’s, stirred not shaken. That was right, wasn’t it?” Bond was too polite to pull a face. Later
in the film his sangfroid deserted him when he grimaced after a swig of what turned out to be
“Siamese Vodka.”

In total, Bond orders 19 vodka martinis throughout Fleming’s novels and short stories.

Bond in more recent times

As we have seen, the vodka martini has been a continual reassuring presence in every Bond
film, but it shot to the forefront once again with Daniel Craig and the long awaited remake of
Casino Royale.
Settling down to a life or death session at the Baccarat table with Le Chiffre, Bond calls the

Barman over and orders what has become his trademark Vesper.
“Dry Martini”
“Oui Monsieur”
“Wait. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lilet, shake it over ice,
and then add a thin slice of lemon peel.”
“Yes Sir”

Bond and Belvedere
While we would never recommend getting in to a scrape with steel toothed henchman, nor
would we recommend using a DIY defibrillator if you are deliberately poisoned at the card
table, we can definitely recommend emulating James Bond’s unquestionable taste with his
Vesper cocktail made from Belvedere Vodka.

Even better, we think our own Reverse Vesper, where the proportions of Vodka and Gin are
inverted, updates this legendary drink for a new generation of 007 and Belvedere aficionados.

For traditionalists, nothing beats the Classic Belvedere martini; an authentic cocktail of
Belvedere Vodka, Lillet Blanc and a grapefruit twist.

Know Your Martini
So how do you determine the difference? Should your martini be served shaken, or should it in
fact, be stirred?

The purists would argue for stirring; it chills the molecules in the vodka without bruising them,
and altering their original taste. With Belvedere, the dry vanilla notes are more accentuated.

The populists would argue that a vodka martini that isn’t shaken is no martini at all. Certainly
there is an energy and aeration in the shaken drink that provides a cleaner colder taste.

Shaken or stirred, the choice is yours. But Bond, as legions of defeated villains will tell you over
the last 50 years, is a tough man to argue with.

EXTRA STUFF!

Martini‐related film scenes:
Dr No: Bond first receiving the shaken vodka martini (from waiter and from Dr
No)
Goldfinger: First time Bond orders a vodka martini
You Only Live Twice: Bond accepting Henderson’s martini (mistakenly stirred)
On her Majesty’s Secret Service: Draco ordering Bond a shaken martini
The Spy Who Loved Me: Anya Amasova ordering Bond’s martini
Moonraker: Martini prepared by Manuela
Octopussy: Octopussy greeting Bond with a martini
The Living Daylights: Bond ordering a martini “Shaken, not stirred”
Licence to Kill: Bond telling Pam Bouvier what drink he’d like as he plays
Blackjack
GoldenEye: Bond ordering martini in a casino while talking with Xenia Onatopp
Golden Eye: Zukovsky referring to to Bond as a “charming, sophisticated secret
agent. Shaken, but not stirred.”
Tomorrow Never Dies: Paris Carver ordering the drink for Bond after the two
meet again
The World Is Not Enough: Bond ordering a martini in Zukovsky’s casino.
Die Another Day, Bond on a turbulent flight, stewardess serving him his martini,
to which Bond replies “Luckily I asked for it shaken.”

Quotes from Ian Fleming novels
Casino Royale (published 1953)
‘A dry martini,’ he said. ‘One. In a deep champagne goblet.’
‘Oui, monsieur.’
‘Just a moment. 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 thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?’
‘Certainly monsieur.’ The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
‘Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,’ said Leiter.
Bond laughed. ‘When I’m…er…concentrating,’ he explained, ‘I never have more than one drink
before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold, and very well
made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own
invention. I’m going to patent it when I think of a good name.
He watched carefully as the deep glass became frosted with the pale golden drink, slightly
aerated by the bruising of the shaker. He reached for it and took a long sip.
‘Excellent,’ he said to the barman, ‘but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of
potatoes, you will find it still better.’

Dr No (published 1958)
“I would like a medium Vodka dry Martini – with a slice of lemon peel. Shaken and not stirred
please.”