Travel – Gibraltar

Part of the raison d’être for starting this blog was to examine ways in which the average fellow could live the Bond lifestyle if only for a few moments. Part of the Bond ideal is travel to far flung exotic or even dangerous places. While one may not always be able to visit such places, there are alternatives which mix some of these elements with the convenience of easy travel options with affordability.

One such option is Southern Spain, namely the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz. This particular area, a well known and popular retreat has plenty to offer including sun, sea, sports, fine dining, casinos, night life and spectacular scenery and with the worlds economy currently down on its knees and tourism likely to be on the decline, those with the resources to travel abroad may even find themselves with a bargain holiday.

The aim of this post and the ones to follow is to give a taste of what this part of the world is like and even share a few things you wont find in the brochures.

Gibraltar, as mentioned above is a great place to start especially if you’re British. While the local will fiercely content that they are not British or even Spanish but ‘Gibratarian’, the place has clearly been influenced by the British who governed the ‘Rock’ for so long. In fact most of the population communicate in the english language hence the reason for its appeal. As a point of reference for Bond fans, the opening scene of the film The Living Daylights takes place in Gibraltar.

Cover all the usual tourist stops. If you choose to go on up the Rock, the best route (although more expensive) is to take a taxi from the cable car station. When the usual tourist spots are covered, the perfect place to visit and chill is Ocean Village. Here you’ll find bars and restaurants and a brand new casino built right on the yacht marina.

 

You can get to Gibraltar airport from London or Manchester by Monarch or Easyjet. Alternatively, Jerez and Malaga airports are around an hours drive away.

Useful links;

www..comgibraltar

www.gibraltar.gi/tourism

Bordeux is a Claret…

Bond has always had excellent taste in wine along with vast knowledge of the subject. Well he is helped of course by teams of researchers and script writers, but have you ever wanted to know what’s what in the world of wine and what is appropriate to order for each occasion?

 

Fortunately, the world of wine has opened up over the last 20 or more years and rather than being reserved for a few with the means to purchase expensive vintages and fine wines, just about anyone can become an expert on the subject on even the smallest budget. This is largely thanks to the supermarket where surprisingly fantastic wines can be had for around £5/€5. But with such a wide variety available now and with wines becoming popular from newer growers, the question is what to try first?

Well, while the choice is mind boggling, the solution is fairly simple… try them. With wines being affordable it is possible to try maybe one or two bottles a week. By approaching the subject in a logical way, perhaps by making a list of wine regions and then working your way through, not only will you learn the subtle differences between grapes, countries and even regions within those countries you will also attain the ultimate goal. That of being able to recommend a wine when with friends or associates with confidence.

Of course, research is also essential. Find out a little about the grape varieties and the methods of producing wine so that you build up a little background knowledge. In addition to this, keep a wine log which not only records what wines you have sampled but also your impressions of the wine, even rating it. 

Another way of learning is to actually join a tasting group. In this way one can try several wines under the guidance of an expert and then discuss the merits and observations within a group setting.  If the group idea is not for you but you still wish to learn under the guidance of an expert then try Oz Clarke’s web site below for ‘wine of the week’ suggestions and even a handy printable wine tasting log.

http://www.ozclarke.com/wineofweek.html

Cocktails

‘Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred’.

Every Bond fan will have heard the above phrase at some point or maybe even used it but how does one make the perfect Martini, not to mention the Vesper made famous by Daniel Craig’s Bond in Casino Royale? Well more on that in a moment but first… The Martini.

Well first off it must be noted that a traditional Martini is made using Gin however the drink favoured by Bond in the movies is correctly termed The Vodka Martini.

Pour about a half measure of Vermouth  into a cocktail shaker half filled with cracked ice and stir. Strain off any excess Vermouth, pour in 3 measures of Smirnoff then shake. Pour out the liquid into a cocktail glass chilled before hand by placing the glass in the freezer for a few minutes, add an olive on a cocktail stick and enjoy.

Now I know there are some who may disagree with the above. In fact over the years I have heard many different opinions about how to make the perfect Vodka Martini. The above recipe I learned from the executive chef at a 5 star international hotel and it works for me.

Now onto The Vesper. The recipe below is as described in the book…

 ”A dry martini,” Bond said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”"Oui, monsieur.”

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

 

Kina Lillet, or simply Lillet as it is know today is difficult to find but not impossible. If you’re experiencing dificulties locating some, like here in the south of Spain for example, you can substitute vermouth. The purists would disagree.

For assistance in locating the real thing though, check out the following link;

www.lillet.fr

Mission Statement

A post dedicated to the would be Bond; the boy who always wanted to be Bond but never quite got there.

The aim is to share ideas about style and leisure for the Bond fan so that even if being Bond is unattainable, living the lifestyle from time to time needn’t be. To that end your comments and suggestions are very welcome.

As a start, try looking at this superb site : http://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/