James Bond vesper martini

James Bond Got It Right with the Vesper Martini

Shaken, not stirred.”

We all know this is how Bond likes his martinis. But in Casino Royale (the movie and the book), we learned just exactly what makes 007’s cocktail so singular.

James Bond drinking a vesper
Jimmy sippin’ on a Vesper (image: cinefantastiqueonline.com)

In this clip, Bond orders a drink that’s three measures Gordon’s gin, one measure vodka, half a measure Kina Lillet, and a thin slice of lemon peel for garnish. Lillet doesn’t make Kina anymore, but Lillet Blanc—aka white Lillet—is Kina rebranded into a similar formula.

I’ve had this version of the Vesper before, and it’s strong, yet dangerously drinkable. The vodka you use should be smooth—you don’t want its “flavor” to overpower the drink. I usually add a little bit more Lillet than what’s called for, and sometimes even a squirt of fresh lemon juice if I’m in the mood.

At least that’s the recipe I was planning on sharing before I stumbled onto Q Lemon: lemon-flavored tonic water that’s light, tart, and subtly sweet. Its the perfect complement to the Vesper’s components, plus who doesn’t like a few bubbles in their glass?

ketel one, boodles gin, Q lemon, Lillet Blanc

The Bubbly Vesper
  • 1 oz. vodka
  • 1 1/2 oz. dry gin
  • 3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc
  • 3/4 oz. Q Lemon
  • Lemon peel

007 Bubbly Vesper Martini

Shake the vodka, gin, and Lillet over ice until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and top with chilled Q Lemon. Garnish with a lemon peel. Tastes best when gambling for millions in your best cocktail attire.

2 thoughts on “James Bond Got It Right with the Vesper Martini

  1. You’re welcome for all the activity on this page–I keep using your recipe to make them! I tried swapping the Lillet for Chrysanthemum Honey liqueuer today, but it just wasn’t quite as good (though still tasty). ❤ 🙂

    Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s