Let us raise a glass to Roger Moore

Actor Sir Roger Moore died Tuesday at the ripe-old age of 89. On television he was Simon Templar in The Saint, but he was best known for playing British Secret Service Agent 007 in seven James Bond films, from 1973 to 1985.

Like all the 007 agents, Moore’s Bond drank his vodka martini shaken, not stirred. But in Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale, 007 is not at all exclusive with his libations. His first drink is a whisky, and while he does imbibe in vodka, Bond more memorably asks a bartender to make a cocktail involving gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet called the Vesper.

So let us raise a glass to Roger Moore. But a glass of what, exactly? In the book Bond on Bond: Reflections on 50 Years of James Bond Movies, Moore reveals himself to be a martini purist, i.e., one with gin:

My gin of choice is Tanqueray, and the vermouth has to be Noilly Prat. Take the glass or cocktail shaker you are using, and, for two sensible-sized Martinis, fill 1/4 of each glass with Noilly Prat. Swill it around and then discard it. Next, top the glasses up with gin, drop in a zest of lemon, and place the glasses in a freezer or ice-cold fridge until you are—or should I say she is—ready.

Make your own martini and commemorate the life of Roger Moore.


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