Vesper
Ingredients
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- 2 1/2 ounces gin
- 1 ounces vodka
- 1/2 ounces Lillet Blanc
- 2 cups ice – for mixing
- lemon peel – expressed over drink (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Place a coupe or martini glass in the freezer to chill.
2. Add the gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc to a mixing glass.
3. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until very cold and slightly diluted, 20–30 seconds, until the outside of the glass is frosty.
4. Strain into the chilled glass.
5. Express the oils from a wide lemon peel over the surface, rub the rim, and drop the peel into the drink.
6. Serve immediately.
The Vesper is a bold, elegant, spirit-forward cocktail that marries the botanicals of gin with the clean neutrality of vodka and the floral-citrus lift of aromatized wine. Served icy cold and finished with a bright lemon perfume, it drinks crisp and assertive yet refined, with a silky texture from proper stirring and dilution. A generous lemon twist adds fresh aromatics that play against the gin’s juniper and the aperitif wine’s subtle sweetness and bitterness.
The drink entered popular culture through Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel Casino Royale, where James Bond specifies its exact build and names it after Vesper Lynd. The original called for Kina Lillet, an older, quinine-forward formulation no longer produced; modern bartenders typically use Lillet Blanc or similar aperitif wines to approximate the profile. Over time, the Vesper has become both a literary icon and a staple of classic cocktail menus worldwide, celebrated for its striking simplicity and potent character.