James Bond ditches vodka martini for Heineken beer in Skyfall movie
Joel Ryan-Associated Press
It's been confirmed in Advertising Age that James Bond is set to toss his much-celebrated vodka martini to one side in favour of a Heineken beer in upcoming Bond movie Skyfall.
In a move that has shaken the Twitterverse, Daniel Craig is set to star as Bond in a new Heineken beer advert. The beer brand also features in at least one scene in the new Bond movie. The deal between the moviemakers and the giant Dutch beer brand is said to be worth £30 million with Bond also due to appear on Heineken packaging.
Dispensing with his legendary cocktail of choice - a simple mix of two parts vodka to one part dry vermouth, strained through ice, served in a v-shaped glass with an olive - is proving a controversial choice.
Associated Press
Actor Roger Moore celebrated getting the Bond role for Live And Let Die with a vodka martini
"If the speculation that James Bond is switching from his institutional Great British Vesper or Martini to beer is true, it's absurd; a discerning hero would drink the finest English spirits, such as Sipsmith," says Sam Galsworthy, co-founder of Sipsmith, echoing a number of comments made on Twitter when the news broke.
His artisan gin and vodka distillery was the first new distillery in London for nearly 200 years when it opened in 2010 and is just one part of the huge revival of small-batch spirits in the last two years.
Steve Helber-Associated Press
Bond's switch to beer has angered top mixologists
"Heineken recently extended its 15-year partnership with the James Bond franchise," a Heineken spokesman said today. "In Bond's 50-year history there are numerous references to Bond enjoying a beer in both Ian Fleming's original novels and subsequent films, such as On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Quantum of Solace. There is no doubt that James Bond will always be synonymous with 'shaken not stirred', but he is a man of the world so it's not surprising that a contemporary Bond might enjoy a Heineken beer occasionally."
Fans of the Bond films will have noticed Daniel Craig's recent incarnation of 007 as a more rugged type, less inclined to the refined taste of a vodka martini cocktail - which doesn't actually contain any Martini. And while UK sales of beer have dropped by 25% since 2004, in contrast to growth in the vodka category, beer is still more associated with the kind of man's man that Bond is increasingly becoming.
"A vodka martini is a classic drink in its own right, not just because Bond chose it - beer will never be as sexy as a martini," says Marcis Dzelzainis of The Drink Factory, the cocktail creators behind some of the UK's most successful bars.
"I guess it depends on the context - Bond drinking a Heineken in a pub in Amsterdam makes more sense and it does show him to be a 21st-century man but on the whole this pairing feels very contrived and I think it's a poor choice," says Dzelzainis. "Originally, Bond drank a Vesper - a much more original drink that really suited the character. It would be great to see him reverting back to that instead."
What do you think? Vote in our poll and let us know in the comments.
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And a pint in his hand would no doubt look more in place! Plus of course Heinekens money!!!
please do me a favour please.
So his head will be full of chemicals that are used in making this c**p beer. It should help him in his fighting though as all these idiots who drink Heineken and Carling always tend to end up fighting at the end of the night.
As Roger Haines says he should be drinking a good pint of real ale. Not just because he should be buying British but because there is no chemicals in them. He can have 15 pints and still have a clear head in the morning.
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