As a traditionalist, Fleming was an unlikely enthusiast for the gizmos of the modern age. Yet he embraced technology and kept abreast of the stunning advances in gadgetry that were emerging among the newly affluent middle classes in the West after biting post-war austerity. The Tricky Gadget cocktail demonstrates how a hidden component can entirely change the complexion of a drink – in this case transforming a classic Kir Royale into something altogether more glorious. Mozart Chocolate Vodka is a unique spirit distilled from a macerate of cacao and vanilla. Unlike a chocolate liqueur, which is often heavy, creamy and cloyingly sweet, it is crystal clear in colour and combines lightness with a robust chocolate flavour. It turns the drink into a delicate but indulgent cacao-laced treat.
15ml (½fl oz) crème de cassis
15ml (½fl oz) Mozart Chocolate Vodka
Bollinger NV Champagne, to top up
Measure the crème de cassis and vodka into a frosted mixing glass and top up with ice. Stir until very cold, then strain into a flute. Top up with Champagne.
THE TRICKY GADGET
I take very great pains over the technical and geographical background to James Bond’s adventures and during and after the writing of each book I consult innumerable authorities in order to give solidity and integrity to his exploits.
FROM “THE GUNS OF JAMES BOND”, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, MARCH 1962
The complicated bag of tricks amused Bond, but he also had to admit that, despite its eight-pound weight, the bag was a convenient way of carrying the tools of his trade, which otherwise would have to be concealed about his body.
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
CHAPTER 13. “B.E.A. TAKES YOU THERE . . .”
From the direction of Nash there came a sharp click. Bond felt a violent blow on his wrist. Splinters of glass hit him in the face. His arm was flung back against the door. He wondered if his wrist had been broken. He let his arm hang and flexed his fingers. They all moved.
The book was still open on Nash’s lap, but now a thin wisp of smoke was coming out of the hole at the top of its spine and there was a faint smell of fireworks in the room.
The saliva dried in Bond’s mouth as if he had swallowed alum.
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
CHAPTER 26. THE KILLING BOTTLE
The woman’s eyes were still locked on Bond’s. She moved a little, shifting her weight. Out of Bond’s sight, and not noticed by Mathis, who was still examining her face, the toe of one shiny buttoned boot pressed under the instep of the other. From the point of its toe there slid forward half an inch of thin knife blade. Like the knitting needles, the steel had a dirty bluish tinge.
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
CHAPTER 28. LA TRICOTEUSE
Either of the cars would have suited his cover – a well-to-do, rather adventurous young man with a taste for the good, the fast things of life. But the D.B. III had the advantage of an up-to-date triptyque, an inconspicuous colour – battleship grey – and certain extras which might or might not come in handy. These included switches to alter the type and colour of Bond’s front and rear lights if he was following or being followed at night, reinforced steel bumpers, fore and aft, in case he needed to ram, a long-barrelled Colt .45 in a trick compartment under the driver’s seat, a radio pick-up tuned to receive an apparatus called the Homer, and plenty of concealed space that would fox most Customs men.
GOLDFINGER
CHAPTER 7. THOUGHTS IN A D.B. III
He always used a Hoffritz safety razor patterned on the old-fashioned heavy-toothed Gillette type. His American friend Felix Leiter had once bought him one in New York to prove that they were the best, and Bond had stayed with them. The handle of a safety razor is a reasonably sophisticated hideout for the minor tools of espionage – codes, microdot developers, cyanide and other pills.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
CHAPTER 8. PASS THE CANAPÉS!
Fleming was one of the first subscribers to Which? magazine.
Although Q is a significant character in the films, this moniker is not used in the books. There he is referred to as the quartermaster of Q Branch. Any reference to “Q” in the books is taken to mean the department rather than the man.
The majority of the gadgets featured in the Bond novels used real technology that had been developed for devices used in the Second World War and the Cold War. Fleming got much of his inspiration from Charles Fraser-Smith, who procured and adapted equipment for the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Fraser-Smith’s branch of SOE created devices such as exploding rats, miniature radio sets and hollowed-out golf balls that each contained a compass. Fraser-Smith called these “Q-gadgets” after the “Q-ships” of the First World War. These were British warships disguised as freighters and unarmed trawlers.