Make mine a 007...Casino Royale

Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in London on May 28th, 1908 into a wealthy English family. According to biographer John Pearson, young Ian loved old-style thrillers, such as Sapper's tales of Bulldog Drummond and the Richard Hannay stories by John Buchan. Ian's father, a member of Parliament, was killed in the First World War. Ian attended first Eton and then Sandhurst Military Academy, but did not do well at either school. His mother Evelyn then sent him to the continent to study languages, first at a small private school in Kitzbühel, Austria, and then at the Universities of Munich and Geneva. After failing the Foreign Service exam, Fleming turned to journalism. His older brother Peter was already becoming a well-respected travel and historical writer (ironically, despite his international success as an author, Ian never felt he measured up).

In 1931, Fleming joined the Reuters news agency. One of his assignments took him to Moscow, where according to biographer Andrew Lycett, Fleming developed a taste for vodka and caviar (two ingredients that would later become an essential part of the world of 007). Fleming also frequented an expensive American-style bar in Moscow that served gin, scotch and vermouth. (One wonders if the bartender mixed martinis made with Russia's native spirit.) During his time at Reuters, Fleming also seems to have developed an early relationship with British intelligence. In an attempt to make some money (Fleming was not really that well off, despite his family's wealth) he worked for a time as a stockbroker in London. In 1939, Fleming began an affair with Ann O'Neill (later Rothermere), whom he would marry in 1952.

With the outbreak of World War Two, Fleming was recruited by British Naval Intelligence. (His commanding officer, Rear Admiral John Godfrey would serve as the inspiration for M.) Among other duties, Fleming was in charge of 30 Assault Unit, a commando unit that often worked behind German lines. He also advised the U.S. on setting up the OSS, the precursor to the CIA. By war's end Fleming had risen to the rank of Commander.

Towards the end of the war, Fleming had the opportunity to visit Jamaica, and fell in love with the island. He soon began building a winter home, "Goldeneye," on the north coast. Fleming also returned to journalism, becoming foreign manager of Kemsley Newspapers (which owned the London Sunday Times), where he would work until 1959. Fleming's affair with Anne and his lifestyle were leading to some ominous symptoms. According to Andrew Lycett, in 1946 Fleming was experiencing severe chest pain, which a Manhattan specialist put down to Fleming's twin daily habits of 70 cigarettes and a bottle of gin.

During the autumn of 1951, Ann became pregnant, and Ian decided to get married at the age of 43. One of the ways he dealt with the stress was to begin (in January of 1952) writing a novel. Casino Royale drew on his experiences in British naval intelligence, as well as the many places and people he had encountered over the years. Fleming named his protagonist after James Bond, the author of one of his favorite books, Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. According to Andrew Lycett, James Bond's signature drink was also born in Jamaica. While visiting a large mansion on the north coast, a butler appeared with iced rum drinks saying "Vespers are served." The recipe certainly changed, but the name stuck, becoming the gin and vodka martini James Bond creates in Casino Royale.

Just as the ingredients in Bond's martini would change, Fleming switched fom gin to vodka during the late '50s, believing vodka was better for his health. But why were Bond's martinis “shaken and not stirred”? According to Lycett, Fleming thought stirring a drink diminished its flavors. But there is a more compelling story. During the late '40s, Fleming reportedly encountered a Berlin bartender named Hans Schröder in the city's occupied zones. According to several accounts, Fleming was a big fan of the shaken martinis mixed by Schröder. It also seems that in later years, Fleming dropped in on Schröder when he worked as a bartender at Trader Vic's in San Francisco.

In all, Fleming wrote 14 James Bond novels (two were short-story collections, and two were published posthumously). He also wrote two non-fiction books (The Diamond Smugglers and Thrilling Cities), and the children's classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Fleming was never entirely comfortable with 007's success, which had begun to grow exponentially, especially following an endorsement by U.S. President John Kennedy. A lawsuit over the ownership of Thunderball (the novel had been based on a film treatment by Fleming, Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham) did little to aid his already failing health. Fleming suffered a massive heart attack in April of 1961.

Unlike some authors, Fleming wasn't trying to live up to his creation—rather, Bond was an extension of Fleming's appetites. Fleming smoked 60 Morland Specials a day and drank heavily. He also loved foods cooked in butter. When interviewed for Playboy in 1964, the writer remembers Fleming having a brandy and ginger ale and wine during lunch. During the interview, Fleming revealed his various routines: when in Jamaica, he always had a couple of powerful drinks before dinner; back in the English countryside he had a drink or two before playing golf, and then had a couple of powerful bourbon and waters with ice before dinner; and while in London, he had three large drinks in the evening. And all this was after Fleming had suffered his 1961 heart attack. Fleming's growing concern about his health and mortality find their way into the later Bond novels, especially Thunderball.

In his self-professed creed, Fleming wrote "I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day the Iron Crab will get me. Then I shall have died of living too much." (The "iron crab" was a phrase for a heart attack Fleming had picked up in Istanbul in 1955.) The iron crab caught up with Fleming on August 12th, 1964, when he suffered a heart attack while at a committee meeting at a golf course. A little over a month later, the release of the film version of Goldfinger would catapult Fleming's creation to a level of international renown that not even he could have imagined.