Vesper – Ian Fleming

“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, Chapter 7, “Rouge et Noir’

½ oz Vodka

2 oz Gin

¼ oz Kina Lillet

Shake over ice and strain into a glass with a lemon zest on top

Tonight was Secret cinema night, and I was Peter Nesbo, detective, soon to be Bladerunner.

These events are my highlights of any given year, and this was the 5^th time I’ve donned costume, assumed an identity and headed in to deepest darkest Canning Town to an obscure warehouse for the ultimate in London based escapism. I always geek out a little at these, I love to immerse myself completely in character and run around on the quests I’m given. Having been several times before a group of us opted to the VIP tickets, which wonderfully included access to a secret bar where we could retire to meet Deckard, or grab a drink or 3. I don’t remember what the drink on the list was called, but when running through the ingredients I know a vesper when I see one.

The drink itself was supposedly invented by the bartender at Browns off Piccadilly, this is one of Ian Flemings favourite haunts and I believe he was a guest of the hotel when he penned Casino Royale. The story goes that Ian wasn’t a big gin fan and liked his martini’s toned down with a little vodka to mellow out the flavours, it also then becomes a charming blend of Warsaw Pact and NATO based ingredients which obviously Bond would’ve been familiar with. Today Browns is de-rigueur for any martini enthusiast, and they serve a wicked martini, which is well in line with Ms. Parkers famous quote, have three at your extreme peril.

I like a Martini, and by extension a Vesper, and this was no different, save the star anise used as garnish perhaps. It worked brilliantly as a 7^th drink (we’d stopped off on the way for an assortment of scary looking Canning Town cocktails) and meant I was fumbling for words a little by the time we had to talk to Hassan, the exotic animal importer. Deckard would not have been impressed, let alone Bond.