Brands

In the films, James Bond prefers Smirnoff vodka and Bollinger champagne. In the novels, 007 drinks everything from Löwenbräu beer to Jack Daniel’s whiskey. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at the brands featured in more than one novel or film. For a complete listing of 007’s favorite drinks, pay a visit to Bond’s Bar.

| Beefeater | Black & White | Bollinger | Campari | Cinzano | Dom Perignon | Finlandia | Gordon's |
| Haig & Haig | Jack Daniel's | Lillet | Löwenbräu | Martini & Rossi | Miller High Life |
| Mouton Rothschild | Old Grand-Dad | Smirnoff | Stolichnaya | Taittinger | Veuve Clicquot | Wolfschmidt |

Beefeater Gin

Beefeater was created in London in 1820 by pharmacist James Burroughs. He named his gin for the famed guards who watched over the nearby Tower of London. Containing ingredients like juniper, citrus and coriander, Beefeater claims to be the world's leading premium imported gin. The brand is currently owned by Pernod Ricard.

James Bond plans to drink three Beefeater martinis in the short story "007 in New York." He has a pink gin made with Beefeater in The Man with the Golden Gun.

Black & White Scotch Whisky

Tracing its beginnings to the 1880s, and first registered in 1906, this brand grew out of James Buchanan's and Company's Buchanan Blend. A lover of animals, Buchanan chose dogs as the trademark of his whisky, but a variety of different breeds soon gave way to the familiar black and white terriers still used a century later. The label is currently owned by Diageo.

James Bond drinks Black & White in both a novel, Moonraker, and a film, Dr. No.

Bollinger Champagne

The House of Bollinger was founded in Aÿ, in the heart of France’s Champagne region, in 1829. During the 20th century, Madame Lily Bollinger was well known for using a bicycle to oversee all aspects of the champagne’s production. Known for the quality of its grapes (which are primarily from its own vineyards), Bollinger has been awarded the Royal Warrant by seven British monarchs since 1884. More importantly, Bollinger is the official “Champagne of James Bond.”

The literary James Bond first encounters Bollinger in Diamonds Are Forever, when Tiffany Case sends a quarter-bottle to his cabin on the Queen Elizabeth.

In the films, Bollinger and Bond first teamed up in Live and Let Die, but the relationship really began to bubble during Moonraker, and continues to this day. In the outer space epic, 007 declares his preference for the ’69, a very good year for champagne (even Jaws enjoys a bottle). In A View to a Kill, he correctly identifies a Bollinger ’75. Dalton’s Bond voices a clear preference for Bollinger R.D., the champagne house’s flagship brand. The abbreviation stands for Récemment Dégorgés (or Recently Disgorged), and refers to a process where the bottle’s neck is frozen to remove yeast sediment. Bollinger R.D. is only produced from the finest vintages, and must age for at least seven years. Bond drinks four glasses of Bollinger in Licence to Kill, accounting for 80 percent of his alcohol consumption in that film.

In the Brosnan films, Bond has vintage Bollinger twice. In GoldenEye, he reveals a bottle of the ’88 in the armrest of his Aston Martin DB5. (1988 was a good year, if unspectacular, year.) In Die Another Day, he has a bottle of ’61 sent up to his hotel room in Hong Kong (an excellent year). According to published reports, the vintage featured in The World Is Not Enough is Bollinger’s highly prized Grande Annee 1990, considered an exceptional year for champagne.

Campari Aperitivo

First created in the 1840s, this bittersweet Italian apéritif is considered something of an acquired taste. The spirit-based drink includes secret ingredients like rhubarb, ginseng, bitter orange peel, quinine and aromatic herbs. The brand is the cornerstone product of the Campari Group, which also owns Cinzano.

Campari is a key ingredient in two 007 cocktails, the Americano (Bond’s first-ever drink, in Casino Royale), and the Negroni (featured in “Risico”). An Americano is also prominently featured in “From a View to a Kill.”

Cinzano Vermouth

Established in 1757, Italy’s Cinzano produces sparkling wines and vermouths. Not surprisingly, the company keeps the herbs and spices used in its three different vermouths a strict secret. Cinzano is owned by the Campari Group.

In “From a View to a Kill”, 007 has an Americano made with “bitter Campari, Cinzano, a large slice of lemon peel, and soda.” In the film version of Thunderball, Bond makes a martini on the rocks with Smirnoff vodka and Cinzano.

Dom Perignon Champagne

Moët et Chandon’s top label is named after Dom Perignon, a seventeenth-century French monk who was a pioneer in the production of champagne. Dom Perignon made its debut during the late 1920s. Like any truly good champagne, the brand is expensive, with the price per bottle running well over $100 (U.S. currency). For an in-depth look at this champagne, visit wineontheweb.com.

The literary James Bond first drinks Dom Perignon in Moonraker, when he has two bottles of the ’46.

In the films, Dom Perignon is best associated with Sean Connery, but is also ordered by George Lazenby and Roger Moore. In Dr. No, the villain stops 007 from using a bottle of ’55 as a weapon, to which Bond quips, “I prefer the ’53 myself.” Bond also declares a preference for the ’53 in Goldfinger, yet in Thunderball, he orders a bottle of the ’55. Actually, both were considered excellent years for champagne (as was the ’59 he enjoyed in You Only Live Twice), so Bond’s aside about the ’55 may have had more to do with annoying Dr. No than any serious dislike for the vintage. (By the way, Marilyn Monroe was also a big fan of the ’53.)

In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond orders a ’57, considered a pretty poor year for the champagne. By the Moore years, the writers were obviously checking their facts more closely. In The Man with the Golden Gun, 007, offered a bottle of ’64, echoes his 1962 comment to Dr. No, proclaiming “I prefer the ’62 myself.” Both were excellent vintages. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond remarks that maybe he misjudged Stromberg, since “Any man who drinks Dom Perignon ’52 can’t be all bad.” 1952 was also an outstanding year for champagne.

Finlandia Vodka

This Finnish brand, which bills itself as the second-largest premium imported vodka in the world, is owned by Brown-Forman Corporation. (Which brings us such well-known brands as Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, and Korbel Champagne). Made with spring water created by Ice Age deposits, Finlandia was launched in Scandinavia in 1970, and introduced to the U.S. one year later.

In 2002, Finlandia outbid Smirnoff for the partnering rights to Die Another Day, but the relationship did not continue.

Gordon’s Gin

The world’s top-selling gin was founded in London by Alexander Gordon in 1769. One of the first London Dry gins (previous gins were sweet), Gordon’s is owned by Diageo.

Unlike his film counterpart, the literary 007 sometimes drinks gin and tonics or gin martinis. The brand is an essential part of the Vesper martini, which Bond creates in Casino Royale. In “Risico,” he orders a Negroni made with Gordon’s when he meets with Kristatos in the Excelsior Bar in Rome.

Haig & Haig Scotch Whisky

This whisky has changed a bit since Ian Fleming’s day, and is now known simply as Pinch in the United States, and The Dimple everywhere else. Confusing matters, there were (and still are) Haig label scotches in addition to Pinch. Produced by John Haig and Co. Ltd. (and owned by Diageo), the family has been producing whiskies since 1627. John Haig opened his distillery in 1824, and Pinch was first created in the early 1890s. Pinch is recognized by its triangular, dimpled bottle, which is wrapped in a wire net.

Haig and Haig (in all its various forms) is frequently the scotch of choice in Fleming’s novels, and a particular favorite of Felix Leiter. The CIA agents has two Haig and Haigs on the rocks in Casino Royale. Bond joins Leiter in Live and Let Die, when the two agents drink Pinch in Harlem, and then share a bottle together in Florida. 007 also drinks the scotch in his hotel room in New York. In Moonraker, Bond finds a half a bottle of Haig and Haig in Drax’ desk, and he and Gala Brand drink the whisky to brace themselves before the missile takes off. In Goldfinger, Junius Du Pont has a Dimple Haig and water (while 007 has bourbon) at the Miami Airport. Bond does not drink the brand again until “The Living Daylights,” when he finishes off the better part of a bottle of Dimple Haig. In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Marc-Ange Draco drinks Pinchbottle Haig & Haig as he introduces himself to 007.

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

Jack Daniel began learning how to make sour mash whiskey as a teen, and in 1866, his operation became the first registered distillery in the United States. Made in Lynchburg, Tennessee, the brand is probably America’s best-known whiskey. Remarkably, the distillery survived two separate shutdowns, during Prohibition and then during World War II. The owner of the brand, Brown-Forman, recently created something of a firestorm by lowering the proof of Jack Daniel's flagship black label from 86 to 80.

One of the few liquors found in both the novels and the films, 007 drinks Jack in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and You Only Live Twice, and with M in GoldenEye.

Lillet Apéritif

Not a vermouth, this Bordeaux wine-based apéritif dates back to 1887. Two versions, the white Lillet Blanc and the red Lillet Rouge, are produced in the French town of Podensac. Lillet (pronounced lee-lay) was once quite bitter before the quinine content was reduced in 1985. The drink was originally known as Kina Lillet, derived from kina-kina, the Peruvian Indian name for the quinquina tree (also known as the cinchona).

Lillet is another integral part of the Vesper martini, which 007 drinks in Casino Royale. Some purists (including Kingsley Amis) have questioned Fleming’s choice of Kina Lillet, saying it would make the martini too bitter; the reduced quinine content makes this point moot for modern drinkers.

Löwenbräu Beer

While this Munich brew may date back as far as the 14th century, the brand traces its modern roots to 1818, and is now found in more than 50 countries. In 1998, Löwenbräu merged with another Munich beer giant, Spaten, creating Germany’s tenth-largest brewery.

Bond has a favorite beer? Hard as it is to believe, 007 drinks Löwenbräu in both Goldfinger and “The Living Daylights” (having one and two beers respectively). On both occasions, he drinks his Löwenbräu with schnapps.

Martini & Rossi Vermouth

Established in 1863, this Italian vermouth is named for business partners Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi. It is currently owned by Bacardi & Company Limited. The company makes four types of vermouth, an essential part of cocktails like the martini and the manhattan. Contrary to popular belief, the martini did not get its name from Martini & Rossi, since the company only made sweet red vermouth during the period when the cocktail was first invented.

The default vermouth of the Bond film series, bottles of Martini & Rossi are often seen in the background of various drinking scenes, such as when Dikko Henderson makes 007 a martini in You Only Live Twice. In the novels, Bond and Leiter drink gin martinis made with Martini & Rossi in Live and Let Die. By the way, during the Timothy Dalton era, Martini & Rossi created a 007 cocktail, which can be found on our Recipes page.

Miller High Life Beer

When Frederick Miller bought the Plank Road Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1855, he could hardly have foreseen the day when his company would become the second largest brewer in the United States. The company’s flagship brand, Miller High Life (also known as “The Champagne of Beers”), was first brewed in 1903. The brand is owned by SABMiller plc, the second-largest brewery company in the world.

When visiting the U.S., Ian Fleming seems to have had a special affinity for High Life. Bond and Felix Leiter drink the beer in Diamonds Are Forever (although curiously, the reference is edited out of the American paperback edition). In the short story “007 in New York,” Bond considers dining at Grand Central Station’s Oyster Bar, home of what he considers the best meal in the city, “oyster stew with cream, crackers, and Miller High Life.”

Mouton Rothschild Claret

Part of the Rothschild family since 1853, the estate was transformed by Baron Philippe, who took control in 1922. Besides innovations such as bottling the chateau’s entire production, Baron Philippe also commissioned works of art for each year’s vintage by famous painters like Miró, Chagall, Picasso and Warhol.

Bond first drinks Mouton Rothschild (a ’47) when he has dinner with Goldfinger at that villain’s house in England. He also drinks half a bottle at a French restaurant in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. When 007 and M dine together at Blades in Moonraker, M has a Mouton Rothschild ’34.

In the film version of Diamonds Are Forever, Wint (posing as a wine steward) opens a bottle of Mouton Rothschild ’55 for Bond and Tiffany Case. After tasting it, 007 uses the villain’s ignorance that Mouton Rothschild is a claret to unmask Wint and Kidd’s true intentions.

Old Grand-Dad Bourbon

One of the oldest names in bourbon (created around 1840), Old Grand-Dad gets its name from Basil Hayden, the grandfather of the brand's creator, Raymond Hayden. (Basil is also considered one of the earliest bourbon makers in Kentucky, having moved there in the late 1700s.) Old Grand-Dad was one of the few American brands produced during Prohibition (thanks to a medicinal whiskey loophole) which helped the bourbon gain quick competitive advantage after repeal. While Old Grand-Dad has been produced by several different companies over the years, today it is made and distributed by Beam Global Spirits & Wine.

Bond drinks Old Grand-Dad in two Fleming novels set in the United States, Live and Let Die and Diamonds Are Forever.

Smirnoff Vodka

In 1818, Piotr Smirnov opened a distillery in Moscow. In 1886, the company was named honorary purveyor to the Imperial Russian Court. Today, Smirnoff claims it is the world's most popular premium spirit. The brand is owned by Diageo.

The relationship between Smirnoff and James Bond began with Dr. No in 1962 and has continued intermittently to this very day. The brand will appear in Casino Royale following a one-film hiatus (Finlandia won the partnering rights to 2002's Die Another Day).

While purists tend to prefer other premium labels, Smirnoff (with the help of 007) legitimately popularized vodka in the United States, helping pave the way for the many brands which exist today. In the films, Bond drinks both Smirnoff Red Label (80 proof) and Smirnoff Blue Label (100 proof). In The World Is Not Enough, 007 knocks back some Smirnoff Black Label with Valentin Zukovsky. Black Label is the distiller’s super premium vodka, which is filtered through Silver Birch charcoal.

Stolichnaya Vodka

The first of the super premium vodkas, this Russian spirit dates back to the reign of Czar Nicholas II. Stoli is made in Irkutsk, Siberia by the shores of Lake Baikal, although the version sold in the U.S. is exported through Latvia. The international brand is currently owned by Pernod Ricard.

The film 007 occasionally drinks Stolichnaya. In You Only Live Twice, Dikko Henderson fixes Bond a martini (“That’s stirred, not shaken...that was right, wasn’t it?”) that appears to be made with Stoli. Henderson reveals he gets the vodka from the doorman at the Russian embassy in Tokyo. Aboard the mini-sub at the beginning of A View to a Kill, 007 produces a bottle of Stolichnaya that’s “rather shaken.” In The Living Daylights, Kara Milovy drugs Bond with a martini made with Stoli and chloral hydrate.

Taittinger Champagne

While officially established in 1931, Taittinger traces its history back to 1734. The house owns more than 600 acres of the best vineyards in the Champagne region, and is home to cellars that date back to the 4th century.

The literary James Bond is an avowed connoisseur of Taittinger, and it is in fact the first champagne we see him drink. In Casino Royale, he and Vesper Lynd share a bottle of Brut Blanc de Blanc 1943, which Bond calls the finest champagne in the world. In Moonraker, when M comments that Blades does not carry the brand (which Bond has apparently told him about), Bond says Taittinger is “Only a fad of mine.” In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond orders a bottle of Blanc de Blancs from room service. By this point, the champagne has become 007’s “traditional drink” at Royale-les-Eaux. In the recipe for Scrambled Eggs “James Bond” found in the short story “007 in New York”, Fleming suggests the meal should be served with pink Taittinger.

Only two Bond films feature Taittinger: From Russia with Love (Red Grant uses it to slip chloral hydrate to Tatiana), and the 1967 version of Casino Royale.

Veuve Clicquot Champagne

Founded in 1772, the brand was immortalized by La Grande Dame de la Champagne, Madame Clicquot (1777–1866), considered by many the first businesswoman of modern times. Widowed at the age of 27 (Veuve means widow in French), she took control of her husband’s champagne house in 1805. Madame Clicquot made many innovations, including a new method for removing yeast sediment from bottles.

The literary 007 drinks a half bottle of Clicquot (provided by an anonymous benefactor) following his baccarat victory over Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. Later, Bond orders two bottles of Veuve Clicquot for himself and Vesper Lynd in the casino’s nightclub, the Roi Galant. In Diamonds Are Forever, Bond and Tiffany Case share a bottle of Clicquot Rosé champagne at New York’s 21 Club.

Wolfschmidt Vodka

Once the toast of Riga, Latvia (where it was established by the Wolfschmidt family), this brand became the first vodka to be produced in the United States. Wolfschmidt is now owned by Beam Global Spirits & Wine. In Holland, Wolfschmidt (same family, different owner) is known for its kummel.

Bond only has the brand once, when he has dinner with M at Blades in Moonraker. However, that particular drink is one of the most memorable in the 007 literary canon, as he drops pepper into his vodka, inadvertently insulting the club’s pre-war Wolfschmidt.