20 August 2012
Ingredients
3.75 oz Gordon's Gin 1.25 oz Vodka 0.65 oz Kina Lillet Lemon peel for garnish
Prep Work
1) Pour all ingredients into a cold shaker, with ice.
2) Shake until 'ice-cold'.
3) Strain into a deep champagne goblet.
4) Garnish with a slice of lemon.
History
Honest to god, this is a quote that the famous triple number spy, 007, said to the waiter in 'Casino Royale', written, of course, by the great Ian Flemming:
'"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?"'
I'm not kidding. I'm just imagining Bond saying that last part with some 'tude; "You got that, mate?" *sigh* my jokes are crap.
As I just said, the drink was created by the enigmatic spy, named after the female lead in the same book, Vesper Lynd. And yet, despite the fact that the drink became so damn famous within the 007 fan community, only once was the drink ever ordered, within the books at least. In contrast, in the latest (to date) Bond film - 'Quantum of Solace' - he ordered the drink six times.
Bloody drunkard.
Despite all of this, the book version of the Vesper was created by Fleming's friend Ivar Bryce. In Bryce's copy of 'Casino Royale', Fleming had inscribed, "For Ivar, who mixed the first Vesper and said the good word." In the book 'You Only Live Once', Bryce detailed that Fleming was first served a Vesper by the butler at 'The Duncans' (God knows where the hell that place is) but this drink consisted of frozen rum with fruit and herbs.
Frozen rum? Bloody hell!
Suggestions
Since the Lillet and Gordon's gin has changed since 1953 (the first publication of Casino Royale), there's been some speculation as to how you could recreate the original taste.
'Lillet Blanc' is probably the closest possible choice for Kina Lillet; the "Kina" was dropped due to market relevance, as European tastes have run more to sweeter drinks than digestifs. But trust me, any bloody Lillet will work.
Also, on a side note, who the hell can tell the difference between shaken and stirred, anyway?
~This recipe is meant for those who are of legal age. If you try these drinks, make sure you're legal to do so. And don't complain to me if you don't like it, got it?~
Vesper • Opuss № I