This James Bond creation, from the book Casino Royale, was an afterthought, when Bond was asked if he wanted a martini. He said sure, then changed his mind and reeled off these ingredients, and the Vesper was born. One ingredient was Kina Lillet, which is no longer made, so we have to recreate with a blend of Lillet Blanc, a fortified wine, and Cocchi Americano, an aromatized wine with gentian and cinchona, which gives a unique bitter taste. These ingredients have been scaled DOWN from the proportions he used in the book. The Vesper was named after the Bond love interest who, as usual, gets killed. In the short story and movie, The Quantum of Solace, Bond again has a Vesper.
VESPER
2 oz London Dry Gin
1 oz Vodka
1/6 oz Lillet Blanc
1/6 oz Cocchi Americano
Large lemon slice
If you only have Lillet or Cocchi, use a double (1/3 oz) portion of the one. The bitterness is much less with Lillet, and much more with just Cocchi, so it’s really just preference. 1/6 oz, btw, is a bar spoon. A little goes a long way.
Once mixed, shake with ice. The old saying about stirring so you won’t bruise the gin is nothing but nonsense. In the Bond book, it specifically says to shake it until ice cold, so double strain to eliminate ice shards. The lemon slice can be expressed or not, but drop it in there and enjoy.
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