007 comes back to Smirnoff

NEWS RELEASE

SMIRNOFF VODKA

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James Bond selects Smirnoff in Casino Royale

As the storied franchise launches its 21st film, Bond brings back his original vodka of choice

TORONTO - After a four-year absence, James Bond is back and he's got Smirnoff Vodka on ice to make his world famous martini!

Starring as Agent 007's official vodka of choice in the upcoming film Casino Royale, Smirnoff is key to the authentic vodka martini, whether it's shaken or stirred!

The world's number-one selling spirit began its supporting role to the world's number one spy in the very first Bond film, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery in 1962.

Now, as Bond enters a new era, Smirnoff is back and ready for action.

The connection between James Bond and Smirnoff was as natural then as it is now.

In the early 1960s, Smirnoff, with its pure, smooth taste and ultimate mixability, was fueling the cocktail revolution from Hollywood to London.

When Agent 007, a sophisticated man who was always ahead of the trends, asked for his Smirnoff Vodka Martini "shaken, not stirred," he caused a global sensation that saw martini lovers abandon their gin and embrace the vodka-based cocktail.

"Smirnoff vodka and James Bond are a perfect match," says Keith Gillespie, director for Smirnoff Canada.

"Both are smooth, totally original and mix well with others," he says.

To celebrate the November 17 launch of James Bond's latest feature film, Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, Smirnoff has created a special cocktail sure to please any vodka lover.

The Smirnoff Royale

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 1/2 ounces of Smirnoff vodka shaken with 1/4 ounce of fresh lime juice, 2 teaspoons of honey and 2 onces. white cranberry juice.

Stir until chilled and strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with a lime wedge.

Smirnoff launched a dedicated web site in honour of the film at Smirnoff.com, on October 1, which includes an exciting contest with a chance to win the "World of 007" with a trip to the Bahamas and $7,000 spending money.

Please visit the site to learn how to make Bond's favourite Smirnoff martinis from the past and present.

About Smirnoff

The Smirnoff vodka brand has always been known for premium quality.

Today, Smirnoff is Canada and the world's leading premium vodka brand, with distribution in 130 countries and a number of innovative products, including Smirnoff Ice(R), the world's leading ready-to-drink alcohol beverage, launched in 1999 and the latest Smirnoff innovation, Smirnoff Fire(TM).

For more information about Smirnoff, please visit Smirnoff.com.

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Smirnoff(R) Vodka and Bond: Timeless martini moments

The Smirnoff brand has had a close association with Bond movies for over 40 years, and the two iconic brands will team up once again in the soon-to-be-released Casino Royale, November 17, 2006.

The "Bond" with 007 and the martini

Although James Bond drinks several different types of alcoholic beverages - including champagne and wine - his signature drink is, unquestionably, the martini.

- Bond first called for his vodka martini in Fleming's novel Casino Royale (1953). After just meeting his good friend Felix Leiter for the first time, Bond orders the drink from a barman while at the Casino Royale-les-Eaux.

- This is the only instance where Ian Fleming's Bond orders his martini with both vodka and gin; it is later referred to as a "Vesper," named after the Bond girl, Vesper Lynd.

- Bond later gives more details about his drink when he tells the same barman that vodka made from grain instead of potatoes (such as Smirnoff vodka) makes the drink even better (Casino Royale, page 45).

- When actor Daniel Craig found out that he would be the next Bond in Casino Royale, he said, "I had a couple of Martinis when I found out." (Associated Press, Oct. 14, 2005).

Shaken, not stirred

Dr. No: "A medium dry martini, lemon peel, shaken, not stirred."

Bond: "Vodka?"

Dr. No: "Of course." (Dr. No, 1962)

- The catchphrase, "Shaken, not stirred" has truly entered the history books, summing up James Bond and his preference for how he wished his vodka martini prepared, in three simple words. The phrase first appeared in the novel, Diamonds Are Forever (1956). Real-life martini bars often dub a martini made shaken, not stirred as a "Martini James Bond."

- In fact, the phrase has become so popular that The American Film Institute honored Bond and "Shaken, not stirred" on June 21, 2005 by ranking it No. 90 on a list of the 100 Best Movie Quotes in the Past 100 Years of Film (www.afi.com).

Martini moments in Bond history

Smirnoff vodka has played a role in virtually every Bond film throughout the past 40 years.

Some of the most memorable moments include:

- Dr. No: Bottles of Smirnoff vodka are seen in at least three separate scenes, setting the stage for a long relationship between Smirnoff and 007.

- Thunderball: Bond pours two glasses of Smirnoff No. 57 (Blue) vodka while he waits for Professor Dent at Miss Taro's bungalow.

- Tomorrow Never Dies: In an opening scene, Bond quaffs a shot of vodka, then refills the glass from a bottle of Smirnoff No. 21 (Red).

- Sheryl Crow's "Tomorrow Never Dies" is the first Bond theme song to mention 007's favorite beverage: "Martinis, girls, and guns."

- The World is Not Enough: Two bottles of Smirnoff No. 57 (Blue) are displayed in Zukovsky's private bar.

- Never Say Never Again: A bottle of Smirnoff No. 21 (Red) vodka is displayed at Bond's villa in Monte Carlo.

Bond and Smirnoff

While there has been great debate over the years as to the origins of the vodka martini, Smirnoff actually began promoting the drink in the mid-1950's, long before the film version of Dr. No in 1962.

It's almost certain the vodka martini existed in Russia and other parts of Europe as far back as the 1930s (Ian Fleming was most likely exposed to it during one of his journalism assignments in Moscow).

The earliest known reference to a vodka martini in the United States is found in the 1951 cocktail book Bottoms Up by Ted Saucier.

The recipe is credited to celebrity photographer (and House and Garden society editor) Jerome Zerbe.

Furthermore, a New Yorker article from 1955 proves that the cocktail was being served in New York seven years before the release of Dr. No.

What Smirnoff (and the James Bond films) did do was popularize the vodka martini and emulate what the cocktail represents: glamour, sophistication, and boldness. (AtomicMartinis.com)

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