While on the road to Saratoga with Felix Leiter in Diamonds Are Forever, they stop for lunch at The Chicken in the Basket for lunch. The place seems dubious,
But the scrambled eggs and sausages and hot buttered rye toast and the Millers Highlife beer came quickly and were good, and so was the iced coffee that followed it, and with their second glass they got away from’shop’ and their private lives and got on to Saratoga.
In the short story 007 In New York, James Bond is pondering his midday dining options.
And what about the best meal in New York – oyster stew with cream, crackers and Miller High Life at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central?
Bond ultimately decides against this option, but clearly it is something he has had in the past. (We’ll look at the Oyster Bar in a future post.)
High Life is Miller Brewing’s oldest brand, dating back to 1903. Because of its high carbonation level, it is known as “The Champagne of Beers” this is perhaps why Fleming included in the the story. It comes in distinctive high-necked glass bottles to go with the champagne image. Miller High Life was considered a high-end beer for many years in the United States. Now, not so much. Because of the carbonation, it’s a decent drink on a hot summer day (like drinking an alcoholic soda) but isn’t good for much else.
Miller time my friends
I was pondering this the other day. Is Miller Highlife the first beer James Bond ever drinks? I don’t recall any mention of him drinking beer in Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, or Moonraker. It’s seen as a little kitsch and downmarket in the United States, but maybe if more people knew of the association the brand may be re-examined. Personally I like Highlife (check out the Errol Morris directed Highlife commercials on YouTube for a good laugh).