Ad Age recently reported that 007 will be drinking Heineken in the upcoming “Skyfall,” the next installment in the Bond film franchise. Fan reactions have been mixed at best.
Now, Bond does not always drink martinis. As recently as “Die Another Day” (2002), he was sipping a mojito with Halle Berry’s Bond Girl Jinx. But should a man whose book descriptions read like a page from GQ be drinking Heineken?
What is Heineken really? It’s a global brand that’s drinkable, accessible to all classes of people and situations and has a good European name. For what it is, Heineken isn’t a terrible choice, but it’s not a Bond beer. He’s never been one to avoid pretension. In the books and films he orders expensive wine and alcohol and even drinks Americanos over regular drip coffee. His taste in cars and food are sleek, exotic and expensive. Pretension is not on his mind. Heineken is a beer that reaches out to all types of people. Bond is not that kind of man. Rather, his persona is one that draws others to him.
More fitting to Bond’s nature is actually another Heineken-owned beer: Indio. Indio sports a slick logo that’s both classic and trendy, and a name that conjures up exotic images of foreign lands (see the Ad Age article).
Another choice would have been an IPA. Indian Pale Ales have a stronger aftertaste, something that a martini-drinking Bond could stomach and relish.
If he wanted to stay in the lager family, Stella Artois is excellent. It’s not only an old beer, but it’s just ritzy enough for 007. And it tastes better than Heineken, something that James Bond would definitely take into consideration.
Consider Bond’s famously risky lifestyle. From cards to driving he’s always pushing the limits. Heineken’s alcohol percent is pretty low, and the Holland-brewed beer – while from a great country – is hardly an exciting choice.
Any of these other brands would be more fitting a beer of choice than the brand that Bond is slated to sip in his next motion picture.
