Why The Marinti

Whist  in the company of Martini-lover, Ernest Hemingway, Frederic Henry announced after consuming a round of Martinis that “I had never tasted anything so cool and clean. They made me feel civilized.”

Another well-known Martini lover watched carefully as the deep glass became frosted with the pale golden drink, slightly aerated by the bruising of the shaker. He reached for it and took a long sip.

'Excellent,' he said to the barman, 'but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better.'

'Mais n'enculons pas des mouches,' he added in an aside to the barman.  The barman grinned.

'That's a vulgar way of saying ''we won't split hairs'', 'explained Bond.

But Leiter was still interested in Bond's drink.

'You certainly think things out,' he said with amusement as they carried their glasses to a corner of the room.