Later in the novel, after being introduced to the beautiful Vesper Lynd, Bond tells Vesper that his search for a name is over if she will permit him to name the drink after her. I'm going to patent it when I think of a good name.īond deems the result 'excellent' and calls it a 'special martini'. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. In Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, the first of his works to feature James Bond, Bond orders a dry martini in a 'deep champagne goblet' but then changes his order and gives the barman a recipe.

Unlike the vodka martini and the mojito, popularized by previous Bond films, the Vesper did not become a familiar cocktail, likely because the Kina Lillet and later the substitute Lillet Blanc, were not widely distributed. Fleming's Bond calls it a 'special martini', and though it lacks the vermouth that defined a martini in Fleming's day it is sometimes called a Vesper martini. The drink was popularized by author Ian Fleming (1908–1964) in his 1953 novel Casino Royale in which the character James Bond invents the recipe and names the cocktail. Since that form of Lillet is no longer produced, modern bartenders need to modify the recipe to mimic the original taste. The Vesper is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.

† Vesper recipe at International Bartenders Association Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Cocktail originally made of gin, vodka and Kina Lillet Vesper IBA official cocktail

Quotes from casino royale book