tastes change. Gin was long regarded as horrifically downmarket - 'drunk for a penny, dead drunk for tuppence'. Look at Hogarth's engravings comparing degraded gin drinkers with the healthy and happy drinkers of traditional British beer. As for vodka, I believe it was still pretty exotic in the 50s when Fleming was writing, just the thing for a spy with sophisticated tastes. It didn't become the default drink of businessmen at lunch until the 60s.
Wow!.....Who cares about trendy opinions? Whether it's shaken, stirred, bounced, or twirled; if it tastes good drink it and celebrate it with another one.
Yes. An acquaintance made one for me on a holiday in Brisbane. She loved them, especially with the token olive. I thought it was foul. I think it stripped my stomach lining away.