Casino Royale Vesper
- Casino Royale Vesper Scene
- Casino Royale Vesper Shower
- Vesper Drink
- Casino Royale Vesper Wiki
- Casino Royale Vesper Explained
Casino Royale movie clips: THE MOVIE: miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: DESCRIPTION:As. Inspired by the Necklace that Bond Girl Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green) wore in Casino Royale! The Algerian Love Knot is intriguing and slightly mysterious. Worn on the neck with a triple strand chain which drops down from the knot, it is enigmatic and emanates seductive beauty and perfectly taps into this year's red-lipped femme fatale look. Every James Bond fan knows this recipe as the first martini that Bond ordered in Ian Fleming's 1953 book, 'Casino Royale' (or the 2006 movie). Named after the seductive Vesper Lynd character, it is possibly the most famous drink order in history and extremely precise. Casino Royale is a 1967 British-American spy parody film originally produced by Columbia Pictures featuring an ensemble cast.It is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the 'original' Bond, Sir James Bond 007.Forced out of retirement to investigate the deaths and disappearances of international spies, he soon battles the mysterious Dr. Noah and SMERSH.
If you’re looking for a cocktail that’s equal parts sophisticated and secretive, we might have the perfect suggestion for you. Be warned though, consisting of neat liquor only, James Bond’s Vesper Martini packs a serious punch. No wonder 007 limited himself to just one when ‘concentrating’!
Now, we’ve had to take a little bit of artistic license with the recipe itself. While all the ingredients are real, the author of the original Bond tales, Ian Fleming, did invent this intoxicating little number himself back in 1953. Some of the components of the Vesper Martini no longer actually exist!
Don’t worry though, we’ve come up with a few tweaks for the modern drinker. For a full Casino Royale experience sip your martini and try the latest pokies from Bitstarz. It’s much safer than trying to outfox terrorist financiers at the poker table!
A Bit of Background to the Vesper Martini
Fleming introduced the Vesper Martini to the world in Casino Royale. In the scene in question, he meets a CIA contact called Felix Leiter. He describes the recipe below in precise detail, prompting Leiter to ask about this unusual blend.
Bond tells Leiter that he invented the drink but is still looking for a name. Once he settles on one, he says he’s going to patent it. Later in the same novel, the ever-so-seductive Vesper Lynd appears, who the drink is eventually named after. And, thus, a classic cocktail was born!
Vesper Martini Recipe
Equipment:
- Cocktail shaker.
- Martini glass (classic V-shaped cocktail glass with thin stem).
- Mesh strainer.
Ingredients for a Single Serving:
Casino Royale Vesper Scene
This first list of ingredients contains those described by Fleming in the Casino Royale book itself. As mentioned, you won’t be able to find some of them. However, we are trying to recreate this classic beverage. Therefore, it’s important to know exactly what we’re aiming for before we started messing around with substitutions!
To make Fleming’s Vesper Martini as he describes it, you would have needed:
- Three ounces of gin – probably Gordon’s.
- One ounce of vodka.
- Half an ounce of Kina Lillet – the tricky bit!
- Lemon for garnish.
- Cubed ice.
Our younger readers have probably never heard of Kina Linnet. It’s a discontinued aromatic wine from France. Thanks to its quinine content, it was quite a bitter tasting drink. For reference, quinine is what gives tonic water its characteristic taste.
Unfortunately, the manufacturer no longer makes it. This is where we have to get creative!
The Kina Lillet could be replaced by Lillet Blanc. This too contained quinine and would have made the perfect substitution until the 1980s. However, the company no longer uses quinine, resulting in a more delicate flavour that we honestly couldn’t tell you if Bond would have been impressed by!
If this softer option doesn’t do it for you, you can substitute the Kina Lillet for half ounce of Cocchi Americano. This will add a little bitterness to your cocktail. Similarly, you could stick with Bond’s brand and use Lillet Blanc. A few dashes of aromatic bitters will make it that little bit sharper and more like the original.
While the most obvious omission from your Vesper Martini is going to be the Kina Lillet, it’s worth noting that the Gordon’s available today isn’t quite the same as that made in the 1950s either. This is slightly more trivial but if you’re aiming for authenticity, choose a more peppery gin over a floral one. You can use whatever brand of vodka you prefer.
Instructions:
Casino Royale Vesper Shower
Knocking up a Vesper Martini shouldn’t take you more than around three minutes. You don’t need a degree in mixology either!
- Combine gin, vodka, and your Kina Lillet substitute in your cocktail shaker.
- Add a generous handful of cubed ice.
- Shake well for around 10-15 seconds.
- Rub the lemon zest around the rim of the glass.
- Drop the rest of the zest into the glass before pouring.
- Rest the mesh strainer over your glass.
- Pour the contents of the shaker through the strainer. The double straining method should ensure a smooth cocktail with no shards of ice.
Shaken or Stirred?
Bond’s trademark insistence on his martinis being ‘shaken not stirred’ might raise the eyebrows of cocktail aficionados. Typically, a martini is stirred, not shaken.
Indeed, there is a bit of good old-fashioned science behind the preference for stirring too. Stirring mixes the different liquids sufficiently while not agitating the ice too much. Since the ice isn’t getting jumbled around in a cocktail shaker, it’s less prone to melting and diluting the drink.
Yet, throughout Bond’s adventures, the international man of mystery really is quite adamant about the mixing technique used. The now-iconic line first appeared in the 1956 novel Diamonds are Forever.
However, Bond’s first literary use of the famous ‘shaken not stirred’ request comes later in Dr. No. In Bond movies, it’s not used by the secret agent until the 1964 classic Goldfinger.
Fleming never told us the exact reason but perhaps we can infer one from the first time Bond orders his signature drink. In Casino Royale, Bond tells his CIA contact Felix Leiter that this potent cocktail is a favourite when he’s concentrating. While he admits to liking it ‘large’ and ‘very strong’, perhaps the extra dilution from shaking takes the edge off this boozy number, allowing 007 to stay focused.
Whatever the nuances, this is a great little drink for those fond of a strong sharp drink and of course Bond fans. Happy mixing!
“A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”
“Oui, monsieur.”
“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, 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. Got it?”
“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
“Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter.
Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he explained, “I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that 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. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.”
—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Chapter 7, “Rouge et Noir’
Later in the novel, after Bond first meets Vesper, he asks to borrow the name. And thus the Vesper martini was born in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. But before you run off to make the perfect Vesper for your Casino Royale 10th Anniversary parties, let’s dwell on some details. Preferably details that will make you sound incredibly snobbish at gatherings, am I right?
Fleming’s friend Ivar Bryce first concocted the recipe for the Vesper martini in the early 1950’s. Since then, however, the ingredients are no longer Bryce’s. If you search for the recipe, you’ll note many variations of the drink. I’ve collected a dozen slightly different variations on the original — and yes, I’ve made and tried them all.
Let’s start with the basics as detailed by Fleming.
The Vesper Martini (from Casino Royale):
3oz Gordon’s gin
1oz vodka
1/2oz Kina Lillet
Shake all ingredients. Strain into a martini glass and add a lemon twist.
Gordon’s gin is not Gordon’s gin. North American Gordon’s is mixing gin, sold by the barrel. It tastes accordingly like swill. Even the superior British Gordon’s has been reformulated to 75 proof from the original 94.6. (A 94.6 proof Gordon’s Export gin exists out there in the wild, but I’ve not yet had the pleasure of procuring a bottle for Vesper sampling.)
Likewise, the vodka Fleming would have used was 100-proof, whereas the vodka currently in your cabinet is likely a 90. Though, this is merely a note for obsessives or people who want to find themselves under the table a little faster. But there is a reason for the high alcohol content of the drink. The shaking produces a greater dilution. If you find yourself with lower proof vodka, dare I say, you might consider stirring your Vesper — which would actually more align with Bond’s stated wish for a drink that is cold. Stirring actually creates the colder drink.
Now the main reason for so many modern Vesper martini variations. Kina Lillet removed quinine from the drink in 1986 and became merely Lillet or Lillet Blanc. The Lillet sold in stores today is most definitely not a straight substitute for Fleming’s Kina Lillet. Modern Lillet is sweeter and doesn’t have enough bite to rise above 3 measures of gin. It never stood a chance.
All that said, here’s my current preferred formulation, including liquors of choice.
007hertzrumble’s Vesper Martini:
2.5oz gin (Tanqueray 10)
1.0oz vodka (Stoli Blue label – 100 proof)
1/2oz Cocchi Americano
splash of lemon juice or even Lillet (each balanced the drink in different ways)
Shake all ingredients. Strain into a martini glass and add a lemon twist.
My preferred gin for martinis has become Tanqueray 10. I find it smoother than the other regular, commercially available gins. Don’t get fancy with your gin in this drink. Find your martini standard and stick with it. For vodka authenticity I stick with the 100-proof Stoli Blue label, but you probably won’t notice the difference between 90 and 100 unless you’re sipping side-by-side.
Replace the extinct Kina Lillet with Cocchi Americano, an Italian apertif wine that contains quinine. In case you’re concerned about never actually finishing that bottle of Cocchi Americano, look up the recipe for a Corpse Reviver #2. You’ll finish the bottle. (You can also try Lillet with two drops of bitters as a substitute, but I wasn’t fond of the bitters and Lillet combo.)
About that splash of lemon juice/Lillet. I hate to say this, but after trying to perfect the Vesper recipe over the last couple years, I’ve concluded that the Vesper is a challenging beverage. And by challenging, I mean it’s quite abrasive. And perhaps this is for the best because more than two of these and you’ll be buggered. The splash of lemon or Lillet sweetens the package just enough. Too much, however, and the drink tastes really confused. It’s a fine line between perfection and a straight up kerfuffle.
For a sweeter version, remove the Cocchi and just add 2/3oz of Lillet and the splash of lemon to give the flavor a fighting chance. Adjust as necessary.
Still, despite the barriers to entry, I’ve come to enjoy these martini half-breeds. Partly because I’m a Bond enthusiast and partly because I find the perfect Vesper slightly elusive. I’ve made a few great ones at home and had one perfect Vesper martini at a French restaurant — which swapped the gin and vodka ratios (3:1 vodka to gin) and used extra Lillet… which I’ve also attempted at home.
Vesper Drink
Here’s my best attempt at the inversion.
007herzrumble’s Inverted Vesper martini:
3oz vodka (Belvedere or Grey Goose)
1oz gin (Tanqueray 10)
2/3oz Lillet
Stir (blasphemy!) — no really, stir — all ingredients in the shaker. Strain into a martini glass and add a lemon twist.
Casino Royale Vesper Wiki
A personal warning — never — never ever ever ever drink more than 2 Vespers of any variety. If you need a refresher about how to make a standard, straight up dry martini, here’s a YouTube video that uses my preferred recipe with a bunch of guys who are mostly less annoying that most YouTube bartenders.
Cheers.