When in Saratoga drink Bourbon and preferably with branch water - our words not Mr. Fleming's. Anyway, the first time Bond drank Bourbon with branch water was in Diamonds are forever (on Felix Leiter's advice). Confused by what branch water is ? For those old enough to remember Dallas, branch water was also J.R's favourite drink. The answer is simple, branch is nothing more than the term given a stream in the American South. If you can locate a nearby stream near your house (unpolluted preferably!), pick up some water, take it home, put it in a bottle and call it branch water, thus becoming a Bourbon snob.



Bourbon isn't of course the only thing Bond drank in DAF. He stays loyal to his cocktails, the only variation to his medium dry Martini with a lemon peel is a change in his vermouth to Cresta Blanca, a new brand from California, recommended by Felix. "Best vermouth I ever tasted, said Bond" (what price Kina Lillet, Mr. Bond?). Those out there looking for Cresta Blanca will have to stay disappointed as this product from the Cresta Blanca Winery is long since gone as is the Winery. Hopefully the sandstone cliffs overlooking the Winery (from which it gets its name), remains. The Cresta Blanca Winery was purchased by Wente vineyards in 1981 and turned into their visitor centre.

Bond also drank a Stinger (a popular cocktail of the 60's) on a couple of occasions with Tiffany Case. The Stinger for those interested combines 2 oz. (60 ml) brandy with 1 oz. (30 ml) of white creme de menthe. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. The Stinger can also be made with green creme de menthe, but Bond preferred white. Et vouz?

Where there's Bond, there's Champagne - he orders Clicquot Rose the first time he has dinner with Tiffany Case (played most delectably by Jill St. John in the movie) and later on the liner back to England, he orders Bollinger to go with the Bearnaise sauce Tiffany sends him along with his steak. Sadly the vintage of either is not disclosed.