Get your popcorn ready, the movie awards season is in full swing with the Oscars coming up on 24 February and the National Film Awards UK on 27 March.
We are delighted to be the official gin partner for the National Film Awards taking place in London with stars such as Keira Knightley, Rob Brydon, Michael Caine and Steve Coogan on the shortlist.
To celebrate our partnership and to get us in the mood for the red carpet, we have compiled a list of the very best moments featuring gin on the silver screen.
From iconic classics to modern day masterpieces, we have partnered our Top 7 list with our very own cocktail recipes for you to try at home.
The Great Gatsby
Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the Great Gatsby was a glitzy, booze-filled treat for the eyes with an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire. Set in the Prohibition era in 1920’s America the film features the ‘gin rickey’ which was a favourite of the author F. Scott Fitzgerald and is a mix of gin, squeezed lime and sparkling water. The cocktail plays centre stage when the villain Tom Buchanan confronts Gatsby in a drunken exchange in a New York hotel room.
60ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
60ml Soda Water
Squeeze half a lime in a highball glass filled with 4 ice cubes. Add gin and stir, then top up with ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.
Photo courtesy of IMDB.com
Casablanca
Set in World War II, Casablanca tells the story of Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine running a bar in Casablanca, Morocco. When his old lover Ilsa, played by leading lady Ingrid Bergman, enters the bar, he mutters the famous line: ‘Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.’ Ironically, Rick is drinking bourbon at the time, but we think “bourbon joint’ is less poetic! The two star-crossed lovers were not meant to be but as the film ends, Rick utters the immortal phrase “We’ll always have Paris”.
50ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
10ml Lemon Juice
10ml Sugar Syrup
Top with Champagne
Add all ingredients to a coupe glass and top with champagne.
Photo courtesy of IMDB.com
Casino Royale
British Secret Service Agent, James Bond’s favourite drink request is the “martini – shaken, not stirred” a phrase known the world over. However, in Ian Fleming’s novel and the Daniel Craig movie Casino Royale, James gives us the insight into his cocktail of choice. While playing a high stake poker game, James is poisoned by a martini and is close to death. After valiantly self-administering an electric shock (and being helped by Bond girl Vesper), 007 returns to the game and orders another martini, this time shaken, not stirred.
75ml Slinsgby London Dry
25ml Slingsby Pure Grain Vodka
12ml Kina Lillet or Cocchi Americano
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a twist of lemon zest.
Photo courtesy of IMDB.com
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is the iconic 1961 film starring Audrey Hepburn, who was praised for taking the character from story to screen, being true to the original Truman Capote novella that inspired the film. Holly Golightly is a tough, seasoned drinker in high society New York. Holly complements her gin with a further half of vodka. Not for the faint-hearted.
60ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
30ml Slingsby Pure Grain Vodka
2 Dashes of Bitters
Top with Ginger Beer
Build all ingredients in a high ball glass and top with Ginger Beer. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.
The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch is a 1955 American romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe. The scene featuring Marilyn standing on a subway grate as her white dress is blown upwards by a subway train is iconic. The two main characters have a drink together, he offers “There's gin and vermouth. That's a martini.” And Marilyn replies “Oh, that sounds cool! I think I'll have a glass of that. A big tall one”
60ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
10ml Dry Vermouth
Add vermouth and gin to a mixing jar filled with ice. Stir quickly and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Photo courtesy of IMDB.com
All About Eve
Winning six Oscars (and nominated for six others), All About Eve, portrays a behind-the-scenes look backstage on Broadway. Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, a great Broadway actress who takes a star-struck Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) under her wing. The featured drink is the Gibson, a variation of a martini: just replace the olive with a pearl onion.
60ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
5ml Dry Vermouth
Add Vermouth to a chilled martini glass and swill around. Pour the remaining Vermouth out and add the gin. Garnish with a pearl onion.
Photo courtesy of IMDB.com
Meet the Parents
The Tom Collins is the favourite drink of Robert De Niro’s nightmarish in-law in the comedy, “Meet the Parents,” also starring Ben Stiller. Male nurse Greg Focker is excited to meet his future in-laws before planning to propose to his girlfriend, however, things don’t go to plan when he meets her suspicious father. A cautionary tale for any future son-in-law.
50ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
12.5ml Lemon Juice
12.5ml Sugar Syrup
Top with Soda
Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Stir and top with soda. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Photo courtesy of IMDB.com
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