Vesper (cocktail)

Vesper

Vesper Martini
Type	Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume	Gin Vodka
Served	Straight up; without ice
Standard garnish	lemon peel
Standard drinkware	coupe
Commonly used ingredients	Three measures 90-proof gin One measure 100-proof vodka One-half measure Kina Lillet or Cocchi Americano
Preparation	Shake over ice until well chilled, then strain into a deep goblet and garnish with a thin slice of lemon peel.
Cocktail glasses are commonly used instead of Champagne goblets in modern versions of this drink.

The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.

Contents 1 Origin 2 Contemporary versions 2.1 Variations 3 See also 4 References 5 Notes 6 External links

Origin

The drink was invented and named by fictional secret agent James Bond in the 1953 novel Casino Royale.

"A dry martini," [Bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

Bond laughed. "When I'm...er...concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."

—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

The novel goes on with Bond telling the barman, after taking a long sip, "Excellent ... but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better," and then adds in an aside, "Mais n'enculons pas des mouches"^[1] (English: But let's not bugger flies-a vulgar French expression meaning "let's not split hairs").

Bond eventually calls it the Vesper, named after the novel's lead female character, Vesper Lynd. A Vesper differs from Bond's usual cocktail of choice, the martini, in that it uses both gin and vodka, Kina Lillet instead of the usual dry vermouth, and a lemon peel instead of an olive. Although there is a lot of discussion on the Vesper, it is only ordered once throughout Fleming's novels and by later books Bond is ordering regular vodka martinis, though he also drinks regular gin martinis.

In actuality the book version of the Vesper was created by Fleming's friend Ivar Bryce. In Bryce's copy of Casino Royale Fleming inscribed "For Ivar, who mixed the first Vesper and said the good word." In the book You Only Live Once, Bryce details that Fleming was first served a Vesper by the butler at the Duncans but this drink consisted of frozen rum with fruit and herbs.^[2]

Contemporary versions

Since both Kina Lillet and Gordon's have been reformulated since 1953, substitutes can be made that attempt to recapture the original flavour of the drink:

• To recreate the original bitter flavour of Kina Lillet, add a dash or two of orange bitters, Angostura bitters, add a pinch (1/16 of a teaspoon) of quinine powder or use a mix of Lillet and the bitter China Martini, which also turns the drink light golden, as described in the book.^[3]
• Alternatively, it has been pointed out that Cocchi Americano has a similar flavor profile to the classic Kina Lillet and is an acceptable substitute.^[4]
• For a more traditional flavour, use 100-proof Stolichnaya vodka to bring the alcohol content of the vodka back to 1953 levels.
• Likewise, Tanqueray gin provides the traditional flavour of 94-proof gin; whereas Gordon's Gin was reformulated to less than 80-proof.
• A modern cocktail glass, which is larger today than was common in 1953, is often substituted for the deep Champagne goblet (see Champagne stemware for the original look of the drink)

Variations

• Some prefer to substitute Boodles British Gin, as it is named for Boodle's gentlemen's club, of which Ian Fleming was a member.
• A "Green Vesper" substitutes absinthe for the Kina Lillet. Lime peel may be substituted for lemon.
• A "Matin" substitutes the Italian aperitif Campari for the Kina Lillet, and reverses the proportions of gin and vodka.

Esquire printed the following update of the recipe in 2006:

"Shake (if you must) with plenty of cracked ice. 3 oz Tanqueray gin, 1 oz 100-proof Stolichnaya vodka, 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc, 1/8 teaspoon (or less) quinine powder or, in desperation, 2 dashes of bitters. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a large swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.^[5]

See also

• Martini (cocktail)

References

• Wondrich, David. "James Bond Walks Into A Bar... and orders a Vesper, a cocktail that hasn't aged too well. Here, a remake." Esquire. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
• "Shaken and Stirred, James Bond Loves His Booze" Time.com. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
• "Matin (Martini)" ZimZahm Productions. Retrieved July 6, 2009.

Notes

External links

• Gordon's Gin
• Lillet

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