Goldfinger

“Shaken, not stirred”

We all know how James Bond prefers his Martinis: “Shaken, not stirred”. This instruction became one of the most famous movie quotes of all times. But actually it’s the best way to screw up a Martini cocktail. The Dry Martini, just like most cocktails that don’t contain any juices, is better served stirred, not shaken. The reason for this is that the alcohol gets troubled when you shake it, or even when you stir too long. But then again, who would have the guts to stand up to the best spy MI-6 has ever seen?

Goldfinger

The first movie in which James Bond uttered the words ‘shaken, not stirred’ was Goldfinger in 1964. So obviously, a cocktail is named after the movie. Just like in the movie Goldfinger it’s a martini cocktail with vodka, but it’s not really a dry martini because of the high amount of vermouth in the cocktail, which makes it too sweet to be dry. For this cocktail Martini Gold is used, it’s a premium vermouth made with top notch ingredients like the Spain’s best saffron, Egyptian Myrrhe and Ginger from India. According to the original recipe you have to add the same amount of vodka, we use Grey Goose for this. If you want to make a dry martini out of it, simply use less vermouth and more vodka.

Harvey Wallbanger

Highway One

This summer I had the pleasure of staying at the US west coast for 3 weeks. For me it was heaven on earth spending 3 week at the golden coast of California. In the entire world there is no better road than Highway 1, as it connects San Francisco and Los Angeles in the most beautiful way. What a feeling, driving an American Classic through the mountains and forests, mile after mile, just a few feet from the ocean and sunny beaches. Along the road the most amazing things happen to you: Sitting on a dock of the bay in San Francisco, whale watching at the 17-mile drive scenic route of Monterey, surfing with dudes & betty’s in Santa Cruz, driving past the beach houses in Malibu, imagining you’re in an episode of Baywatch on Santa Monica’s boardwalk, passing Muscle Beach, living the hippie life at Venice Beach & spotting celebrities on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. In that same fantastic setting, 60 years ago in the summer of 1952, the Harvey Wallbanger was born. Having been there, I must admit there’s no better setting to enjoy a Wallbanger.