A History of the Vesper Martini
And how to make the perfect one
For those of you who know me, you know how much I love to make cocktails. You would also know that I enjoy just as much, if not more, drinking them and my favourite one to drink is the very elegant but very brutal, Vesper Martini.
“Shaken not stirred.”
The Vesper is drenched in Hollywood history. Born out of Ian Fleming’s classic novels which you may have heard of (James Bond), this iconic super, not-so-secret agent of the Brits loved to get into the mood by chinning one of these at dinner. Is it any wonder he made things so hard for himself? But I can’t blame him. The taste of a Vesper Martin is exceptionally refreshing for what is essentially an all-alcoholic drink. It’s very much an acquired taste for sure and you either love it or hate it. Ironic that this rings true for the Bond franchise also.
The Vesper was born in 1953 in Ian Fleming's classic Casio Royale. Bond is at the bar and orders himself a martini with very specific instructions on how to make it:
“Three measures of Gordons, 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.” “I never have more than one drink before dinner.” Bond remarks. “But I do like one to be large and very strong and very cold, and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. The drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I think of a good name.”
In the next chapter, the drink's name is born when Bond meets double agent Vesper Lynd and names it after her. As the story goes though, the drink's inception was pre-Casino Royale. Ian Fleming’s friend Ivar Bryce first introduced him to what would become the pinnacle of martini sophistication for the next 70 years!
There’s no doubting the elegance and sophistication of this drink and it’s a drink that I love to make just as much as I love to drink. There really is an art to making a great Vesper Martini. So, let’s get into it.
The ratio for the Vesper is 3:1 with a splash of fortified wine (formerly Kina Lillet).
Ingredients
60 ml gin
20 ml vodka
7.5ml fortified wine
I use about half the measure of the fortified wine as I feel it adds an overall better balance.
As for the gin I’ve tried quite a few and surprisingly Gordon’s gin is hard to beat. Currently, I’m making them with Plymouth gin though. As for the vodka Reyka offers a nice pairing as it’s clean and smooth. As most people do I use Lillet Blanc to round off this all-alcohol cocktail although Cocchi Americano might be more in tune with the original Kina Lillet owing to the inclusion of cinchona bark.
Glassware
The famous drink originally came in a deep champagne goblet, but a coupe will also do. A pony glass from Remy Savage I think looks best though. It’s best to chill the glass beforehand either by putting it in the fridge or by adding ice to the glass whilst mixing the drink. Be sure to throw away the ice before you pour.
Methodology
1. Grab a cocktail shaker and fill it ¾ of the way with ice. Be sure the ice cubes are roughly the same size. I prefer to use slightly bigger ice cubes roughly 1.5 x 1.5 inches or so.
2. Pour in your gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc.
3. Shake (or stir if you prefer) for about 10-12 seconds.
4. Pour through a strainer into your chilled glass.
5. Cut a slice of lemon peel, twist it over the drink to release the oils and drop it into the glass. I prefer to use ‘coins’ as I think it looks more elegant. These are just circular cuts of the lemon.
6. Sit back and enjoy!
Some people like to ‘rim’ the glass with the lemon and that’s ok but if you’re having different cocktails or food bear in mind that the oils from the citrus will be on your lips and possibly alter the taste of whatever other drink you might have next.
Mixing it up
Classic or no classic every drink deserves an opportunity to be enhanced or altered and the Vesper Martini is no different. Lillet Rose, Lillet Blanc's little sister is infused with orange blossom, berries and grapefruit and adds a subtle, but devilishly nice twist. Garnish with a grapefruit coin or peel.
It’s the last summer bank holiday this weekend in the U.K. and the weather seems to be typical of such an occasion, shit. All the better for sitting in and perfecting my Vesper Martini game.
If you enjoyed this article then please consider subscribing. Until next time, The School of Knowledge.