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 Lillet – click 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.
