MartinisWinter

Vesper

Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, 1953; first mixed by Ivar Bryce

The Vesper is gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano, shaken with orange bitters and served up with a long lemon twist. Gin gives it botanicals, vodka gives it weight, and the aperitif wine adds a soft, bitter-orange finish. Strong and crisp, it is James Bond's own martini and a good companion for winter nights in.

  • GlassMartini
  • MethodShaken
  • Ingredients4
Vesper

Ingredients

Making a batch?
Servings
Lemon twistGarnish
Total volume—

Directions

  1. Shake all ingredients with ice.
  2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

ToolsJiggerShakerHawthorne strainerMartini glass

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History

Ian Fleming invented the Vesper in his 1953 novel Casino Royale, where Bond names it after the double agent Vesper Lynd. His order is exact: three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shaken until ice-cold, with a thin slice of lemon peel. Kina Lillet was reformulated in the mid-1980s with less quinine, so many bartenders now use Cocchi Americano to get closer to the original's bitterness.

Making a batch? Scale it for a crowd, add dilution water, and see how many bottles to buy.
Quick sizes
How are you making it? ⓘ Batching includes dilution water. Pre-batched cocktails need added water to replace the melt from stirring or shaking. We use Jeffrey Morgenthaler's standard: 18% for spirit-forward drinks, 25% for shaken.

What you'll need to buy

Based on 750ml bottles (25.4 oz), rounded up.

Bottle math, generally

750ml bottle25.4 oz
2 oz pours per bottle12 cocktails
1.5 oz pours per bottle16 cocktails
1 oz =29.6 ml
This recipe per 750ml of spirit—

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