Drink of the Day: The Vesper

The Vesper is the original Bond cocktail. With both its name and its relation to the mythical double agent, it evokes mystery, drama and eroticism.

Many a bartender resent the James Bond martini as it is popularly known, and would like nothing more than to let you know that the proper martini is neither made of vodka nor is it shaken. The Vesper, however, is far from just a big glass of vodka.

The Vesper, named for Bond's first love interest, was first seen in Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale, in which the double agent ordered the following:

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

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's [gin], 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?"

Kina Lillet unfortunately no longer exists, but a good substitution comes via the recipe from Employee's Only, which combines Lillet Blanc with Angostura bitters to capture the quinine-tinged flavor of Kina Lillet. The recipe in full--one of my favorites for this particular cocktail-- is as follows:

2 ounces Charbay vodka (corn and rye based)

1 ounce Plymouth Navy Strength gin (which, according to their site, is at the strength at which it could be spilled on gunpowder and the gunpowder could still ignite...)

1/4 ounce Lillet Blanc

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 lemon twist, for garnish (I prefer a thin strip of the rind, as opposed to those fancy curly-q's, which defeat the purpose. The point is maximizing surface area to infuse your drink with the oils from the lemon skin.)

The drink should be shaken vigorously and strained into a cocktail glass, garnished with the aforementioned lemon twist.

The Vesper, by the way, was streamlined in the film version of the novel, thanks mainly to the advertising dollars of Smirnoff vodka. A "real" martini should be gin-based, with dry vermouth, and stirred, not shaken, served up in a cocktail glass. But, hey, I'm a snob-- enjoy your martini the way you like it. Just be sure to give this magnificent and fabled cocktail a try as well.

* Since this drink does not contain citrus or an egg white, according to bartender doctrine, it actually should still be shaken, not stirred, but, well, mais n'enculons pas des mouches.

Photo courtesy of CoffeeGeek, via Flickr.