The Bacardi (white) rum that Bond orders for Vesper-while he drinks an Americano-is more troubling. You can double up on the gin if you like Bond enjoys a powerful drink. To make your Americano a Negroni, switch the soda for gin, with equal parts of each ingredient, stir with ice and serve with a twist of orange peel, either leaving the ice in or straining according to preference. If they reply that they’ve just opened it, murmur “How strange…” If a bartender, host or friend is showing signs of getting above themselves it can’t hurt to ask how long they’ve had their bottle for, when was it opened, etc with a quizzical, slightly disappointed air.

Of course the other thing you can do to establish your credentials is to note that vermouth is a fortified wine, not a spirit, and that it should be refrigerated after opening and consumed fairly briskly before it loses its edge. Finally, if you want to put some precious drinkers or snobbish bar staff back in their boxes, insist on Cinzano or Martini Rosso, suggesting dismissively that the subtleties of the swankier brands are overwhelmed by the Campari in an Americano and are a mere affectation. Although the Americano is Italian, we shouldn’t forget that Bond is in France and he may well have been served Noilly Prat Rouge: another respectable choice. Then you could go for something more show-offishly eclectic (and possibly more economical) try, say, Casa Mariol Vermut, a rare Spanish/Catalan vermouth (vermut). The classic high-end choice would be Cocchi Vermouth Torino, which is superb and maintains the original Milano–Torino connection. The question is, which vermouth? The Bondian drinker has several options here. The recipe is simple: mix equal parts of Campari and sweet ( rosso, red) vermouth and add soda to taste serve with plenty of ice and a slice of orange. It’s a fine bittersweet aperitivo, bracing, refreshing and good for the appetite. After the First World War it became popular with the many visiting Americans and was renamed the Americano. It began as the Milano–Torino (Milan/Turin), being made up of Campari (from Milan), sweet vermouth (from Turin) and soda. Something good and something rumīond’s first drink is an Americano, an Italian cocktail that has been popular for more than a century, even if it’s now sometimes seen as a sort of proto-Negroni.

This policy lets you enjoy it, but not too much. In particular, there’s a distinctive extra tremor from having your first drink on an empty, or relatively empty stomach, but it will only take you so far. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad.” But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. “I never have more than one drink before dinner.

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