Vesper

As the first entry to this blog, it makes sense to start at the beginning.  The most famous cocktail 007 drinks is the one he creates in the first novel Casino Royale: The Vesper.


From Casino Royale, the passage reads thusly:

"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.

The barman wasn't wrong.  The Vesper is a beautiful drink, balancing sweet, dry, bitter and floral elements in a tightly constructed, dangerous little package.  Spicier than a dry gin martini, the Vesper promises sex, violence and high living in a way few other cocktails do. It was the perfect drink to launch Ian Fleming's stylish yet brutal series of novels and a worthy addition to the menu of any self respecting bar but it's not without it's problems.


The first problem with the Vesper, aside from the fact that most bartenders don't know how to make it is that the key ingredient that transforms it from a standard martini into the Vesper, Kina Lillet, doesn't exist anymore.  Lillet Blanc, the company's current offering is a very nice fortified wine, but just doesn't have the complexity or quinine elements to stand up to three parts of gin, even as diluted with one part vodka. And, at the time of this writing, no one else really offers a Kina. In fact, there is only one product on the market that claims to duplicate what Kina Lillet once was; Cocchi Aperitivo Americano.  Small batch distillers Tempus Fugit are coming to market with their own exhaustively researched Kina sometime soon so there will soon be more options to choose from. 


The second problem with the Vesper is that, according to those who seem to know, Gordon's gin isn't the same product in the U.S. as it is in the U.K. Many manufacturers adjust their recipes to meet local tastes and, over the years, often change recipes completely.  The U.S. product is, in the opinion of this blogger, simply disappointing.  Another gin is called for.  Of the gins I have tried, Plymouth, Tanqueray Ten, and Miller's are the most enjoyable mainstream gins and the Voyager brand from Tempus Fugit Spirits  is probably my favorite small batch gin for this drink.


And, his license to kill be damned, James Bond is wrong about the shaking.  A shaken spirits-based cocktail is less cold and less flavorful than one stirred because of the extreme oxygenation brought on by the shaking.  Also, dilution is an important factor in any mixed drink. Spirits forward drinks should almost always be stirred. Drinks with juice, milk or eggs should be shaken.  
Here's how I like my Vesper.


Stir with ice for 60 seconds:


3 oz. Voyager Gin or Miller's Gin
1 oz. Hangar One Vodka 
.5 oz. Cocchi Aperitivo Americano


Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass and cut a fresh twist of lemon zest over the top so the oils from the peel coat the surface of the drink and enjoy in the company of beautiful women.