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The Bond drinking moment that has always gotten me is the scene in Goldfinger in which Goldfinger asks Bond, “The julep tart enough for you?” I can’t recall if

The Bond drinking moment that has always gotten me is the scene in Goldfinger in which Goldfinger asks Bond, “The julep tart enough for you?” I can’t recall if that line is present in the novel—I suspect not, as Fleming would surely have known that a mint julep isn’t “tart.” My guess is that the screenwriter wasn’t a bourbon drinker, so when Bond orders his julep with “sour mash—and not too sweet,” the screenwriter thought that “sour mash” referred to the flavor profile of the spirit. At least that’s all I can figure. Or maybe it’s a subtle gesture to indicate that the whole schtick Goldfinger has developed as “country gentleman” horse farmer in KY is a goofy affectation, that he’s generally not as smart as he thinks he is?

version_five 4y ago
That's actually my favorite part of the movie! For anyone who doesn't remember the scene, Bond has just realized the true magnitude of Goldfinger's scheme, and Goldfinger calmly asks if his drink is tart enough. I've never had a mint julep so I haven't been distracted by th accuracy there, but I can see how it could be distracting fo a julep aficionado. The book and movie are not too much alike. I re-read (most) of it recently and found it to be in the "Flemming at his worst" pile. Whereas the movie is almost certainly the best Bond movie. One thing I did like about the book, at the beginning Bond goes for dinner in the US with an acquaintance, where they have iirc crab legs and buttered toast. It's delicious, and Bond is disgusted at the opulence of it. They begin the meal each drinking a tankard of champagne. The whole scene makes me very hungry and thirsty.