The True Bond Martini that appears in both the book as well as the film version of Casino Royale. It is the only time this cocktail is mentioned in any of the James Bond books or movies.
The Vesper Martini recipe appears in chapter 7 at a casino in France when Bond meets the CIA agent Felix Leiter at the bar. Bond initially orders a Dry Martini “in a deep champagne goblet”.
However, he changes his mind and gives the recipe that created the legendary Vesper Martini: 3:1 ratio of Gordon’s gin to vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shaken till it is ice-cold, with a slice of lemon-peel as garnish. He goes on to say that he never has more than one drink before dinner when he is concentrating. But the one he does have should be large, strong, cold, and very well made. He then claims to be the inventor of this drink and states that it is better with grain vodka instead of the potato one that the bartender used.
In the next chapter, when Bond and Lynd go for dinner, he discovers that her full name is Vesper Lynd and decides to name the cocktail after her as it sounded perfectly appropriate “to the violet hour when my cocktail will now be drunk all over the world.”
The movie that changed the public consciousness of a James Bond cocktail after 4 decades of shaken vodka martinis. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, and Judi Dench.
The Vesper Martini makes an appearance in the 21st movie adaptation of the James Bond series in the poker game scene in Montenegro. Bond is playing against Le Chiffre when he calls for the barman and initially orders a Dry Martini. Then, like in the book, he changes his mind and gives the specific recipe for 3:1 ratio of Gordon’s gin to vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shaken over ice, with a thin slice of lemon-peel as garnish. Everyone around the table asks the bartender for the same drink as well, much to the annoyance of Le Chiffre.
Bond christens the drink Vesper while having dinner after winning the poker game against Le Chiffre. When Vesper suggests that he wants to name it after her “because of the bitter aftertaste“, Bond’s reply is “because once you have tasted it, you won’t drink anything else.”
Well, one can honestly say that maybe shaking the Vesper Martini might be a good idea as it would dilute the high alcohol content in this cocktail.
The Vesper Martini employs Kina Lillet, a Quinquina rather than a Vermouth as a modifier. However, the Kina Lillet, currently known as just Lillet has undergone a slight flavour profile change from the time that Ian Fleming wrote the Casino Royale. A Cocchi Americano comes closest to the flavour notes that Fleming would have aspired to create. In case one is using Lillet, we suggest that you add a few dashes of Bitters as well.
The movie, by the way, has no connection to the novel other than the name. Directed by Marc Forster with Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric in the lead roles.
Though the cocktail is not named in the movie, a brooding James Bond apparently had 6 of them before Mathis joins him at the bar on the plane en route to Bolivia. When asked what Bond was drinking, the bartender described it as three measures of Gordon’s gin, one of vodka and, half a measure of Kina Lillet, “which is not vermouth”. Shaken till ice cold and served with a large thin slice of lemon.
