Photo: Courtesy of United Artists.
If you've ever added the "shaken, not stirred" direction to your drink order, you're obviously channeling James Bond. But, a British research team did some digging and this signature martini request may have been the result of a severe alcohol problem, rather than a stylistic choice. In fact, the research team claims that, with the amount of alcohol Bond consumed, he probably wouldn't have been able to perform any of of those suave moves.
Dr. Patrick Davies and his team at Nottingham University Hospital reviewed all 14 of Ian Fleming's novels in the James Bond series. Their research found that Agent 007 consumed more than four times the recommended limit of alcohol per week in Britain. To be clear, that's around 92 drinks in a seven-day period. And, if a unit of alcohol is about eight grams, that's, well, a lot. The team also noted days when Bond was hospitalized, in rehab, or in some way imprisoned, to make their measurements accurate. Don't forget, the recommended daily allowance for women is no more than one drink per day.
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The team published their findings in the holiday edition of the British Medical Journal, a traditionally lighter-hearted issue. They also suggested that Bond's preference for a shaken drink may have been due to a tremor in his hand — one he would be unable to control because of his high intake of booze. He'd also be at risk for alcohol-related diseases, as well as an early death. Though, we suppose as a secret agent, an untimely demise was always part of the job.
Researchers concluded that his habits would have prevented Bond from being as badass as we've witnessed — especially in From Russia With Love, when he consumed nearly 50 units of alcohol in a single day. “The level of functioning as displayed in the books is inconsistent with the physical, mental and indeed sexual functioning expected from someone drinking this much alcohol,” the researchers explain.
So, we guess Bond should just change his drink order to, "Shaken, but only because I have to." (Washington Post)
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