The Real Reason There's So Much Drinking In The Bond Movies

"Shaken, not stirred." Ah, the famous line from James Bond movies that schooled us all in how a badass spy prefers his vodka martinis. According to CBR and Drink Hacker, there's much debate over why Bond likes his martinis made in this fashion. On one hand, CBR points out that shaken martinis distribute more water into the drink as the ice breaks apart and melts, thus making the taste less intense and perhaps therefore allowing Bond to appear drunker than he appears. Thus, he is more capable of performing his spy duties than if he were inebriated. That theory doesn't add up, however; if the character finishes his drink, he consumes the same amount of alcohol; it's just that each sip would be slightly more watery. Drink Hacker, on the other hand, looks at the phenomenon as an expression of what a "bad boy" Bond is and how he breaks the rules. "If society tells us to stir our martinis, of course Bond is going to be the type of guy who drinks them shaken."

However, regardless of how Bond prefers his martinis be prepared, an interesting occurrence has started to happen in Bond movies. Actors in the films are not only drinking more and more alcohol, they're drinking alcohol of certain brands.

According to Thrillist, no film version of James Bond has consumed more drinks than present Bond, Daniel Craig, who averaged about 20 drinks per film, as opposed to first film Bond Sean Connery, who averaged about 11 drinks per film. Both Thrillist and Daily Mail contribute this uptick in martini consumption to alcohol industry sponsors of the films, such as Heineken and Belvedere.

In 2015, Daily Mail described a Heineken commercial airing in connection with the then-upcoming Bond movie "Spectre" that featured Bond in a boat chase, as well as a scene from 2012's "Skyfall" in which the character drinks a Heineken.

When it comes to vodka advertising, in 2014 Belvedere unveiled two limited edition bottles of Bond-themed vodka which the company planned to produce throughout 2015, timed with the release of "Spectre." Fortune states that this was the first collaboration between the company and the Bond enterprise. "With Bond, you've got a character of class, of sophistication, of style, a man of distinction," said Belvedere President and Chief Executive Charles Gibb (via Fortune).

Regardless of how James Bond likes his vodka martini prepared, it's a sure bet he's drinking Belvedere.