The Vesper Martini

Casino Royale has created quite a demand for the drink that Bond orders at the poker match, which he later christens the Vesper. A martini at heart, the Vesper does pack a punch with its mixture of gin, vodka and Kina Lilletclick here for the recipe.

As we’ve mentioned elsewhere on this website, Kina Lillet is now called Lillet Blanc and has a different, less bitter flavour to the original, but one option we’ve seen suggested is to add a pinch of quinine powder to the remaining ingredients for the bitterness, or even a dash or two of bitters to the remaining ingredients to get the right taste.

Having tested the drink both with and without bitters, the Vesper martini does have a more rounded taste with bitters added and is now our preferred recipe.

Also see our article on Kina Lillet for information on where to find it.

David Leigh founded The James Bond Dossier in 2002. A fan of 007 since the age of 8, he is also author of The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond. You can order a copy here if you don't own it already.

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