On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Part one

Introducing our very own theme tune from resident composer and musician Neil Ridley - AKA 'Whisper'. "I was toying around with the idea of how great it would be to write a Bond theme for years and finally the perfect opportunity arose, albeit on a much smaller scale! "The beauty of all the great Bond themes, especially the incredibly broad work of John Barry, David Arnold - and especially George Martin on the 'Live and Let Die' soundtrack, (my personal favourite theme, with Wings) is that mix of classic cinematic orchestra sizzle and something contemporary. "It's all in how to underpin drama and tension with utter bombastic joy: every explosive blast of brass, the romance of the strings, orchestral percussion, harp, and, of course, that unmistakable guitar chord at the end - to get geeky, an Em(Maj9)... I had a big smile after playing that. I built up the track from scratch, either guitar bass and drums, then orchestrated the other parts over the top, getting a friend to play some trumpet on the crescendos. I hope it makes you want to dive in, Martini in hand!" Bottoms up!! - Neil - AKA 'Whisper'.

This episode is the second part of our exploration of 'You Only Live Twice' (book published 1964, film released 1967). Featuring Sean Connery as James Bond and Akiko Wakabayashi ask Aki, with Donald Pleasence as the arch nemesis Blofeld. We start with an unknown spacecraft capturing an American capsule in orbit. With the US and the Soviet Union up in arms, WWIII is on the brink. Only one man can get to the bottom of it - British agent James Bond. And when he is seemingly assassinated in Hong Kong, he is able to operate unseen, travelling to Tokyo and meeting head of Japanese Secret Service Tiger Tanaka and agent Aki who are also trying to uncover the truth. Bond traces the suspicious liquid oxygen supplies used by the spacecraft to Osato Chemicals and travels to a remote fishing village where he begins his infiltration of the scheme spearheaded by his arch nemesis, Blofeld. We kick things off with an investigation into the 'Stirred, not shaken' Martini incident with intelligence operative Dicko Henderson. Is it a bluff? Or a genuine mistake? We then dig into a bottle of 1970s Martini Extra Dry, look into why Fleming thought the best whisky is made where you can take great photographs and taste a forgotten bottle of Akadama 12yo sweet wine which makes a cameo in the film. We also dig out a 1970s bottle of Suntory - perhaps close to what Bond might have been drinking in Japan - and ruminate about what makes up 'Blofeld's poison'. *** DRINK ALONG! Suntory whisky - take your pick *** EAT ALONG! Oysters *** Get in touch with the show: [email protected] Follow us on Instagram: @redwinewithfishpodcast

Our alpine escapade continues with part two of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (book published 1963, film released 1969). Featuring George Lasenby in his first and last out of Bond, Diana Rigg makes her debut as a Bond girl, and Telly Savalas is the infamous Blofeld. James Bond saves a distressed woman, Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo, from drowning, later discovering she is the daughter of Marc-Ange Draco, the head of the Unione Corse crime syndicate. Draco offers Bond information on his longtime nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in exchange for Bond marrying Tracy. Bond agrees and goes undercover, posing as the genealogist Sir Hilary Bray from the College of Arms, to investigate Blofeld's plot. Trouble - and love - ensue. From smashing bottles of Champagne over henchmen's heads to uncovering unknown cocktails, this part takes a closer look at some of the more lesser known tipples from this boozy book and film. We kick things off with General Pushkin's favourite way to make a Martini on the Rocks (drunk by Bond on the sun terrace in the book), before diving into the myriad wines that Bond imbibes throughout its pages too. We also wax lyrical about the glory of the half bottle of Champagne, and uncover a mysterious Dom Pérignon whose existence we bring into question. Elsewhere, we take a critical appraisal of Blofeld who keeps an impressively well-stocked bar - but could learn a thing or two about chilling Champagne. *** DRINK ALONG! Orange Blossom 25ml Dry gin 25ml Fresh orange juice 25ml Red vermouth Shake with ice for 15 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass or iced tumbler. *** EAT ALONG! A foot of garlic sausage and a hunk of bread *** Get in touch with the show: [email protected] Follow us on Instagram: @redwinewithfishpodcast

In this episode we cover off part one of Diamonds are Forever (book published 1956, film released 1971). Featuring Sean Connery as James Bond, Jill St. John as Tiffany Case and Charles Gray as Blofeld (and Mrs Blofeld). James Bond travels from Amsterdam to the USA to investigate a global diamond-smuggling ring, masquerading as a professional courier by the name of Peter Franks. But all is not as it seems as he uncovers a plot by his nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld to build a space-based laser weapon powered by the stolen gems. Bond heads to Vegas in search of reclusive billionaire Willard Whyte who he guesses is bank-rolling the operation. We meet some proper characters along the way - Mr Wint and Mr Kidd, Thumper and Bambi and, of course, Tiffany Case. This is a particularly brutal and booze-soaked book balanced by it's rather camp 70s movie counterpart. From Veuve Clicquot Pink Champagne and the 'Champagne of Beers' to ancient soleras, it's a strong and varied start. We also dissect Tiffany Case's well-stocked home bar, take a deep dive into genever and the liquid-after-dinner-mint, not to mention some fun facts about mashed potato being used as one of the film's most visceral props. *** DRINK ALONG! Stinger 50ml Cognac (Courvoisier VSOP) 25ml Creme de menthe (Menthe Pastille) Shake vigourously with ice and serve up (without ice) in a coupe glass. *** EAT ALONG! Caviar and cutlets *** Get in touch with the show: [email protected] Follow us on Instagram: @redwinewithfishpodcast

In this episode we head to southeast Asia to take a first look at The Man with the Golden Gun (book published 1965, film released 1974). Featuring Roger Moore as 007, Sir Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga, Maude Adams as Andrea Anders and Britt Eckland Mary Goodnight. One of the most juxtaposed match of book and film, The Man with the Golden Gun, however, has it all. When James Bond receives a gold bullet inscribed with '007', so begins a cat-and-mouse game with high-class professional assassin Francisco Scaramanga known as 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. Set against the backdrop of a global energy crisis, Bond and Scaramanaga are both vying for the solution, a solex agitator. The trail takes them separately from Macau to Hong Kong and finally Scaramanga’s lair where the two take part in a gun duel - guess who loses. We kick things off with the Daiquiris, Schweppes Bitter Lemon and Red Stripe before diving into the opening scene of the film on the beach with Scaramanga drinking, what we believe to be, a Black Velvet. We also try and dicipher Nick Nack's back bar and find a modern-day version of Phu Yuck Thai wine. *** DRINK ALONG! Daiquiri 50ml Unaged rum (ours is from Portsmouth Distillery) 20ml Fresh lime juice 15ml Sugar syrup Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (Added later, 2-3 ml Planteray Hogo Monster). *** EAT ALONG! Oysters and tabasco *** Get in touch with the show: [email protected] Follow us on Instagram: @redwinewithfishpodcast