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The Sean Connery Cocktail

By Greg Bechtloff

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What more can be said about Thomas Sean Connery as MI6 marks the anniversary of his birth this week? The originator of the cinematic James Bond character, Connery’s legend has only grown stronger since his passing in 2020.

As we navigate this interim period before the next chapter of the 007 film franchise is revealed, you can be certain that the original Ian Fleming novels as well as the early Sean Connery Bond films are being scrutinized yet again. From those original texts, a hitherto unexplored pathway into a new iteration of the James Bond mythos will be mined.

The new actor playing James Bond will join his five predecessors in a fresh round of critiques as to how the “new James Bond” stacks up against the first man in the role, Sean Connery. His complex relation with the character of James Bond intermingled with his own evolving personal views regarding money, fame, class, family, career, and legacy.

Connery’s long-running feud with the producers with all its acrimony and barbed comments (see that famous Johnny Carson clip) have all fallen away as the years have progressed and we circle back to those seven times that Connery magically brought to life a character created by Ian Fleming but yet given much more life by Connery himself.

With one eye on the past and the other on what is to come, MI6 presents the Sean Connery cocktail on the occasion of his birthday.

In a rocks glass with ice, pour:

2 oz. Pusser’s British Navy Rum “Gunpowder Proof”
2 oz. Harvey’s Solera Sherry
2 oz. Blended scotch such as Johnny Walker Red, The Famous Grouse or Dewar’s.

Stir, and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Add some cherry syrup if you want to soften the drink a tad.

The rum represents Sean Connery’s early stint in the Royal Navy. The Caribbean liquor also suggests Connery’s first Bond film DR. NO and where he made his home in his later years.

The sherry signifies Spain where Sean Connery lived for many years. You are free to insert the absurd but classic James Bond quip about “an unusually fine solera” here.

The Scotch harkens back to Scotland where a former bodybuilder from Fountainbridge conquered the show biz world with stops along the way in the James Bond and Indiana Jones universes.

The cherry adds a dash of red which signifies a blood-red iris from the iconic James Bond films. Connery was the first Bond to film his gunbarrel opening in Panavision for the epic THUNDERBALL.

Yes, this is a strong drink. That was the intention. Many, many co-stars of Sean Connery over his long career remarked that he was the real deal; a man’s man, the alpha male. The equally studly Paul Newman recounted once when Newman and Connery were together, Connery could pop ultra hot chili peppers into his mouth unfazed whereas Newman couldn’t handle one at all!

Just enjoy responsibly….too many of these drinks will make your body feel like it was hit by a Thunderball, leaving your head feeling like The Rock!

About The Author

Greg Bechtloff hails from Huntington Beach, California. Introduced to the world of 007 by his parents through the cinema, he’s been infatuated with Ian Fleming’s creation for over 35 years. With wide ranging interests, he has drilled down to the very foundations of the character of James Bond. Greg has worked in many positions in varied industries. He has travelled extensively and has visited many James Bond locations all over the world. He has recently become certified as a professional bartender, another aspect of the Bondian world that he has always been interested in.