It could not have happened at a better time! The buzz around the latest Bond movie No Time to Die is palpable. The link between Bond and Jamaica unbreakable. Chris Blackwell, whose connection to Ian Fleming and James Bond is far-reaching — Blackwell’s mum Blanche was Ian Fleming’s neighbour next to GoldenEye and the two of them developed a close relationship, with her becoming his muse as he wrote the James Bond novels. And Chris Blackwell was a location scout in Jamaica on the first James Bond movie Dr No and has a cameo appearance in it. He would later become the owner of GoldenEye and turn it into the flippie-chic destination it is today. Good reason, we reckon, for Blackwell to pour himself a drink of his Limited Edition 007. Neither shaken nor stirred!

Blackwell launched his eponymous Blackwell Rum in 2008. Taken from his family’s time-honoured recipe in collaboration with Joy Spence, master blender at J Wray & Nephew — the first ever woman to occupy this position — the spirit brand was created. This rum works extremely well for sipping, holding its own against the world’s best whiskeys and cognacs, and in cocktails, often replacing bourbon and scotch in classic drinks like the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned, as well as other popular cocktails like the Goldeneye, Black Passion, Black Storm, and tiki drinks like mai tais and daiquiris.

Blackwell Rum’s release of the Limited Edition 007 is a way to celebrate this partnership and James Bond’s return to Jamaica. Taste, character, handcrafted quality, tropical ageing, colour and tasting notes aside, acquiring a bottle affords:

The augmented reality experience

Both the Standard and 007 Limited Edition bottles will feature a multimedia Augmented Reality experience. By visiting www.blackwellrum.com and aiming at the bottle with the smartphone as mentioned in the packaging copy, customers will be able to enter the amazing world of Blackwell Rum with an array of content featuring:

– a welcome intro from Chris Blackwell coming to life in 3D

– signature cocktail recipes

– original Jamaican music

– a sneak preview of the wonderful settings of Island Outpost properties

The Augmented Reality experience for the 007 Limited Edition will also unlock some James Bond-specific content.

Signature Cocktails

It’s up to you how and where you drink this rum, but we’d suggest you drink it neat, sip it on the rocks or use it as the genius part of a well-mixed cocktail.

Blackwell Rum shares the recipe for its signature cocktails.

Goldeneye

Ingredients:

2 oz Blackwell Rum

2 oz pineapple juice

Lime for garnish

Method:

Shake together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lime wedge or garnish with a pineapple leaf instead and used ice cubes in the glass.

Black Passion

Ingredients:

2 parts Blackwell Rum

2 parts fresh orange juice

1 part passion fruit purée

Slice of orange for garnish

Method:

Shake together and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish.

Ginger Mojito

Ingredients:

2 parts Blackwell Rum

½ lime cut into quarters

½-inch fresh ginger cut into small pieces

2 teaspoons raw sugar

8-10 mint leaves

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Club soda

Method:

Muddle the mint, ginger, sugar and lime in bottom of glass or shaker, until mint is slightly bruised.

Add ice, rum and top with club soda.

Garnish with a mint sprig.

Jungle Bird

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Blackwell Rum

¾ parts pineapple juice

½ part Campari

½ part lime juice

½ part simple syrup

Method:

Shake all the ingredients together in an ice-filled shaker.

Strain into an ice-filled glass.

Garnish with a pineapple wedge. 

Thursday Food suggests you proceed with alacrity in your bid to acquire a bottle of this 007 Limited Edition.

email: Kemmar Lewis @klewis@cpj.com