Blogging By Cinema-light: Don't Make a Scene: Casino Royale

The Story: In the book, it goes like this—James Bond ordering a drink (with his CIA counter-part, Felix Leiter) in the novel "Casino Royale":

'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.'
— Casino Royale, Chapter 7: Rouge et Noir

In a later chapter, he will dub it "The Vesper" after his co-worker in the assignment to bankrupt Le Chiffre, and with whom he falls in love, intending to leave The Service. Given the ensuing circumstances, Bond never mentioned the drink or ordered it as that again.

And, of course, when the films came out "the Vesper," although never called that, became part of the regular espionage kit. Although, in the first film (Dr. No) he doesn't order it, the villain does (apparently knowing everything about Bond); Bond won't order a vodka martini "shaken, not stirred" until Goldfinger. A contact in You Only Live Twice gives him his drink stirred, not shaken and Bond doesn't contradict him. And on and on until you can't have a Bond movie without it. And it's becoming so ingrained in culture that when the heroine of Last Night in Soho orders a drink, she orders a Vesper. It being the 1960's and all.

The In-vesper-ture in the series does finally occur when EON had their first chance to make their own film of Casino Royale (long litigious story)...and Daniel Craig's Bond drinks a LOT of them. Although the film-makers weren't above playing with the cliche, as when after a bitter defeat, Bond goes to the bar, orders, and the bartender asks "Shaken not stirred?" and Bond replies "Do I look like I give a fuck?" (per the original script—Daniel Craig says it was just one of the enticements to take the role, although it was tamed to "damn" as the film was already teetering on the edge of an "R" rating).

And, there's the debate: is it any good? The case against was wittily argued by President Jed Bartlett (Martin Sheen) on "The West Wing:"

The counter-argument is that shaking it distributes the cold more thoroughly and faster, but might "bruise" the gin portion. Then, there is the shrill argument from purists that a martini—to be a martini—must be either gin or vodka, but never both. For Fleming, the vodka killed some of the gin taste, kept the alcohol content high, and eliminated the traditional vermouth (which is a fortified wine, so "never mix, never worry, purists?").

The counter-arguments, like a bad hangover, come full circle to "the hair of the dog that bit you": Fleming, creator of both Bond and the Vesper, would later write to the Manchester Guardian (April 5, 1958): “I proceeded to invent a cocktail for Bond, which I sampled several months later and found unpalatable.”

As the gourmands—but not the gourmets—say, it comes down to taste, doesn't it?

Please drink responsibly.

The Set-Up: Newly installed "00" James Bond (Daniel Craig) has been following a string of attempted terrorist attacks that seem to be connected. After all the running around and getting bruised and battered, he's given a softer assignment: follow the money. Taking advantage of his gambling skills, he's assigned to thwart the mastermind's attempts to recoup his debts in a big poker match at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. Before he gets his money, Bond decides to get his goat...and his "tell."

Ante up.