A Jigger of Blog

This is huge. Jeff Fulcher at The Cocktail Revolution points out a piece in The Guardian which says that James Bond will no longer be drinking martinis in Quantum of Solace.

The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, is released in the UK tomorrow. If you don’t want us to spoil the story, then look away now, because we have big news to impart: BOND NO LONGER DRINKS MARTINIS. In the new film, so our sources inform us, 007 sips a sazerac.

Jeff writes:

I like Daniel Craig as Bond.  He isn’t as charming as his predecessors but he got the drive, the violence, that something simmering underneath.  You can’t cool him off with a Sazerac.

Hopefully, this Bond will do for the most-classic of cocktails what the last set did for the Martini.  I would actually accept trendy, band-wagon hopping if it meant I could walk into a regular DC bar and have the tender know how to mix up a proper drink.

Maybe it’s just me, but I actually think this is a great think for Craig’s 007. Intense as it is, the Bond vodka martini, with its legendary transposition of the difference between shaking and stirring when it comes to bruising, isn’t the sort of drink that I see connecting to Craig. A cold glass of slightly watered down vodka? Please. It lacks class and it just isn’t as tasty as a gin martini.

The Sazerac, on the other hand, is both classic and gritty. Rye strikes me as a great compliment to Craig’s character. I do think Fulcher’s right about the possible benefits of mainstreaming sazeracs. It’s a drink that far more bartenders should know how to make well. I also think the case can be made that it’s a great entry cocktail, as so many contemporary cocktails are variants off of or inspired by the sazerac. If more bartenders are compelled to make more sazeracs, I’d guess that many will start playing around with other great cocktails.

I’ll be honest – I’ve never been a fan of vodka martinis. That should be clear with this post so far.  But I love the sazerac and am happy to see the Bond brand evolve in a new direction. It’s a clear statement about the makers of Bond films awareness of their ability to create trends. That said, I wonder what lead them to the decision?