james bond’s salad dressing

When William Boyd was approached by Ian Fleming’s estate to write a James Bond novel, he reread the series in full.

One book, 007 in New York, included a recipe for scrambled eggs as a footnote. Boyd thought, “If he can do it, so can I!”, so he revealed his secret recipe for the perfect vinaigrette.

It's slightly unusual because it's 1 part olive oil to 3 parts red wine vinegar, and everyone thinks it's the wrong way round. With half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, good grind of black pepper, half a garlic clove peeled and sliced and then, the crucial ingredient, is about a teaspoon and a half of white sugar. The sourness of the vinegar and the sweetness of the sugar... it's really delicious, I could drink it. All the copy editors said "Don't you mean 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar?" and I said no! It's quite tart but then you have the sweetness and it's incredibly moorish.

ingredients

3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

One and a half teaspoons of white sugar

Half a garlic clove finely sliced

Salt and pepper

method

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (excluding the olive oil) using either a fork or a whisk.

Gradually add the olive oil, so it doesn’t separate, and whisk.

Season to taste.

The key here is 3 parts vinegar to 1 part oil - quantities can be increased easily.