
James Bond might be famous for drinking the Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred, but his creator Ian Fleming had him drinking way more than that. What else, you may ask? Our guests today hold the answers.
Sponsored by Ketel One, I welcomed Mia Johansson, Bobby Hiddleston & Edmund Weil at the second Lush Life Book Club at Oriole Bar in London to discuss their book, Shaken: Drinking with James Bond and Ian Fleming.Â
Mia began her cocktail career in London, working at prestigious venues, including Mark’s Bar at Hix with Nick Strangeway and Milk & Honey London.
Bobby started his career in Edinburgh working in clubs, and when he moved to London in 2009, he met his business partner and wife, Mia Johannsson. ​​
In 2016, they opened Swift Bar in partnership with another industry couple and our guests today Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson, and most recently, a second site, Swift Shoreditch.
Since entering the industry in 2009, Edmund’s bar concepts have been consistently recognised and acclaimed by the drinks industry and public alike, earning multiple accolades and ever-present on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. He also writes a regular column for Class Magazine since 2016
Sorry, you couldn’t be there, but thrilled I can bring the event to you!
Hope you enjoy our in-real-life chat about Bond, James Bond, and so much more.
Don’t miss the cocktail of the week: The Vesper Martini

Vesper Martini
The Vesper Martini may have been invented by Ian Fleming, but this mythical beverage described as "the perfect martini" is a classic on to its own!
Ingredients
- 3 oz Gin
- 1 oz Vodka
- 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
- Lemon Peel
Instructions
- Combine the gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc in a mixing glass filled with ice
- Stir until chilled
- Strain into a Nick and Nora glass
- Express the lemon peel and then add to the cocktail
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Don’t miss out on any Lush Life episodes!
You can get this and all future audio files automatically downloaded to your mobile device easy. If you’re on iOS, you can listen on Apple Podcast. It’s easy to Google Podcasts or Spotify too. Or click the player or link above to listen to just this episode. (But trust me, you’ll want to subscribe!)
If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us… Just go to patreon.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.
Lush Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iphone covers, duvet covers, ipad covers and more covers for everything! and more!
Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro, and used with permission.
Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.