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THE JAMES BOND VESPER COCKTAIL RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
• 3 ounces gin
• 1 ounce vodka
• 1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc aperitif • Garnish: lemon twist
STEPS
1. Add the gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Express the oils from a lemon twist over the drink, rub the twist along the rim of the glass and drop it into the cocktail.
The Vesper, also known as the Vesper Martini, was made famous by 007 himself, James Bond. The cocktail was invented by none other than Bond author Ian Fleming and first appeared in his 1953 book, Casino Royale. The tipple is named after the fictional double agent, Vesper Lynd.
When Bond orders the Vesper, he provides strict instructions to the bartender which should be followed by all those who recreate it. He specifies: “three measures of Gordon’s Gin, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet Blanc. Shake it very well until it’s ice- cold, then add a large, thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”
With all due respect to 007, there’s one thing we’d alter – shaking a Vesper can result in an overly diluted and less smoothly textured drink—and a Martini isn’t meant to have ice shards floating on its top. The golden rule is to always stir a spirit-only cocktail – and there’s no reason to make an exception here.
This Vesper recipe makes a stiff drink with four ounces of full-proof spirits and a half ounce of lower-proof Lillet Blanc. In the book, Bond claims that when he’s concentrating, he never has more than one drink before dinner. However, he likes that one drink to be very large. You’ve got to respect his thinking but if you want a less boozy drink, you can dial back the volume while keeping the proportions intact.