5 Drinks Made Famous By The Magic Of Films

Films as a medium has contributed to a lot of things to our daily lives. From the way we dress to the way we live, it has influenced the way we function in society. One of the greatest contributions of this medium might as well be the way we eat and drink. From films like Sideways, Chocolat, Ratatouille and more recently Jon Favreu’s Chef have all influenced the way we look at food and the people who prepare it. Films like Chef has created an aura around restaurants and the chefs working in it. Once considered a menial job in India, becoming a chef these days has turned into a venture filled with high aspirations and glamour.  

Although many films have contributed to the way we look at food, there are a select few which have done the same for drinks. From James Bond’s “shaken, not stirred” Martini to the Orange Whip made famous by the Blues Brothers, alcohol serves as a distinct reminder of characters or situations in a film. 

Here are a few drinks which turned an ordinary conversation or character into one worth remembering for days after we left the theater. The titles, for your reading pleasure, will follow the ‘Drink-Movie Name’ format. 

1. White Russian – The Big Lebowski

Although Coen Brothers’ ‘The Big Lebowski’ failed at the box office, it has steadily developed a cult following based on the slacker character played by the amazing Jeff Bridges. The film is a mish-mash of different storylines but what stands apart from the crazy whirlwind of a plot is the drink made famous by “The Dude”. White Russian as a drink became so famous that bars around the world have added this drink as part of their default menu.

Ingredients

40 ml vodka
20 ml Kahlua coffee liqueur
20 ml cream

Shake it with some ice and serve.  

Jamie Oliver’s version of the White and Black Russian

2. French 75 – Casablanca

Although French 75 existed years before the film Casablanca was released, it is one of the iconic drinks made famous by the iconic Humphrey Bogart. The name has its stories from the lore but one of the famous renditions of the story goes like this…The drink is so strong that it feels like you are getting hammered by the French 75-millimeter M1897 gun.

Ingredients

45ml Dry Gin
10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
5ml sugar syrup 
Top up with Champagne

How to make a French 75 cocktail 

3. The Red Eye – Cocktail

We all know Tom Cruise as the action star jumping from roof tops of the Burj Khalifa or hanging from an airplane at some God forsaken height. But did you know one of his first roles came in the film Cocktail? His bartending flair and techniques in the film made him so famous that bartending became the coolest job in the world, which still continues to this day. One of the famous drinks in the film is, technically, not a drink. It’s a hangover cure with some alcohol added to it and topped it off with a….raw egg. 

Ingredients

30 ml vodka
150 ml tomato juice
1 can of beer
1 raw egg

Dare to try? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0PKLyyc8Hc

4. Sweet Vermouth On The Rocks – Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day, directed by the great Harold Ramis, is one of the most influential comedy movies of all-time. In the film, the legendary Bill Murray plays a character who re-lives the same day over and over again. The film has its quirky undertones with Phil Connors having to “suffer” through drinking vermouth. Although it sounds tedious, we definitely wouldn’t mind that kind of suffering. 

Ingredients

Sweet vermouth
Lemon wedge

Would you mind reliving this every day? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Eo0u33xqjU

5. The Martini – James Bond Films

Of course, we couldn’t end this list without mentioning the most iconic drink in film history spanning decades, the Vodka martini. Whether you prefer the class of Sean Connery’s Bond or the grim and serious version of Daniel Craig’s version, there is one thing in common, the “shaken, not stirred” Martini. Although this drink won’t turn you into a suave spy, it always makes us feel a little classy. 

Ingredients

60ml gin
20ml vodka
10ml Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano

Bond’s first love. Will it be yours? 

Although there are many other drinks made famous by films, these drinks are the only ones which tickles our fancy. They are easy to make at home with the right ingredients and a pleasure to drink while watching that specific film. Go ahead, make it a movie marathon night this weekend but just make sure to keep some hangover remedies in stock.