Vesper Cocktail
Did you know that Monday is National Martini Day? Since I’m such a big fan of the classic cocktail, of course I’m going to celebrate and I want you to celebrate with me. Unfortunately I already have a martini on the blog, so I searched for alternatives.
There’s the Gibson which is pretty much a martini with an onion instead of an olive. Then there’s the Gimlet which is a martini with lime juice and a wedge of lime. Both are great alternatives but both are also already on the blog. I was running out of classic options, and I certainly wasn’t going to make an Appletini, because while popular, that drink dates all the way back to the late 90’s, and I’m sorry, but that’s just not vintage enough for me. So, I kept digging and I eventually found the Vesper. I always thought the Vesper was just another name for the martini. But it turns out it’s actually a completely different cocktail.
I’m a huge vodka martini fan. Then there are those who believe a martini just isn’t a martini unless it has gin. But if you can’t decide, the Vesper is the perfect martini for you because it has both. As a matter of fact, it’s such a great alternative to the classic we all know and love, a certain English spy prefers it. Who’s the spy? Why James Bond, of course. But wait, James Bond drinks martinis. That’s not exactly true. The film Bond drinks martinis. But in Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale, he asks for “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?” According to the novel, Bond never has “more than one drink before dinner. But (he likes) that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made.” All of which the Vesper is.
You’ll notice that Bond orders the cocktail shaken, not stirred, and while you could order it that way, if you look up the recipe, you’ll discover it suggests stirring instead. See, if you shake the cocktail you run the risk of getting a watered down drink. No one explains this better than the fictional President Bartlet who tells his assistant, Charlie, “what’s messed up about James Bond. … Shaken, not stirred, will get you cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth. The reason you stir it with a special spoon is so not to chip the ice. James is ordering a weak martini and being snooty about it.” While I don’t believe Bond could ever be snooty, I completely agree with the cocktail being weak. But if you stir it up, you’re going to get that “very strong, very cold” drink Bond prefers.
So, I guess you don’t need to be a real live mixologist to create a drink. Classics can come from fictional characters as well, and this one is great! Although National Martini Day does fall on Monday this year, there’s no reason you can’t stir up a Vesper to enjoy before dinner. I mean, we have Taco Tuesdays why not Martini Mondays?
Vesper
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces gin
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1/2 ounce Lillet
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass, drop in a large twist of lemon and serve.
