Cocktail recipe
Vesper
A literary icon of gin, vodka and quinquina—icy, assertive and edged with lemon.
Ingredients
- 75 ml (2½ oz) London dry gin
- 25 ml (⅚ oz) vodka
- 12.5 ml (⅖ oz) Lillet Blanc or a bitter quinquina-style aperitif
- Garnish: 1 broad lemon peel
Preparation
Chill the glass until very cold. Shake gin, vodka and the chosen aromatized wine briskly with abundant ice, as Bond specifies, then fine-strain immediately. Twist a broad strip of lemon peel over the drink and let it float at the edge. For a silkier, clearer house variation, stir instead—but label that departure.
Glassware
Chilled large cocktail glass
History
The Vesper first appeared in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale (1953), named for fictional character Vesper Lynd. Bond specified three measures of Gordon's gin, one vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet, shaken until ice-cold. Modern Lillet Blanc is not identical to the discontinued bitter Kina Lillet, and gin strengths have changed; therefore today's faithful-looking spec is not chemically identical to the 1953 drink.
Mixology View
Our measurements preserve Bond's 3:1:½ proportion at a slightly moderated overall volume. Shaking honours the literary source; a quinquina-style aperitif can restore some of the bitter backbone that modern Lillet lacks. This is a strong drink.