Casino Royale Martini
With the James Bond flick Casino Royale having been in theatres, many cocktail enthusiasts eyes were looking for the appearance of the Vesper Martini. This cocktail is a “James Bond” original, actually an Ian Fleming original, but who cares. For the most part, it is a variation on a Martini, and all bartenders know what Mr. Bond did to the martini world. “Shaken not stirred, please. Interestingly enough, Casino Royale is in fact the only time Fleming has Bond order a Vesper; in the other books he drinks regular vodka and gin martinis. But 007 gave the recipe with such inedible conviction, that it’s become an enduring part of popular culture. The Vesper was the first martini James Bond ordered in Ian Fleming's 1953 book, Casino Royale (and the 2006 movie)—John shows you how to make it. Try pairing this cocktail with Rach's One-Pan Seafood Bake. Also known as the Vesper, James Bond orders this variation on the martini in Casino Royale. Kina Lillet is an old name for what is now Lillet Blanc. See also our classic gin martini.
A look at what 007 drinks in Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond.
The first drink of the Daniel Craig era is served around half an hour into Casino Royale. After arriving at the One and Only Ocean Club (now known simply as The Ocean Club) Bond heads for the bar where Alex Dimitrios is playing poker. Bond orders a Mount Gay rum and soda at the bar before asking if he can join the game.
While Dimitrios faces Le Chiffre aboard his boat Bond uses his charms on Solange to try and found out what Dimitrios is up to. As they roll on the floor together you can see two flutes of champagne on the table behind them.
Soon after Bond calls room service. Requesting a bottle of Bollinger Grand Année and Beluga caviar the voice at the other end of the line asks if it is for two.
“No, for one”, he responds abruptly and promptly leaves Solange headed for Miami.
On the train to Montenegro Vesper joins Bond in the dining carriage. He has a whisky on the rocks in front of him as he peruses the menu. With their meal they have a bottle of Château Angélus 1982 Premier Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion. Barbara Broccoli is a friend of the co-owner of the winery, and approached him to provide the wine for this scene.
At a cafe where he and Vesper meet Mathis, Bond takes two glasses of champagne from a passing waitress before they even find a table. Mathis appears to have a glass of still water with a slice of lemon.
While playing poker Bond orders what he later names the Vesper – three measures of Gordon’s, two measures of vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet shaken and served with a thin slice of lemon peel. Two other players ask for the same and Leiter, not yet introduced, tells the waiter to “bring me one as well, keep the fruit”.
Ian Fleming’s one and only mention of the Vesper can be found in the pages of Casino Royale. Bond orders it prior to facing Le Chiffre at the Baccarat tables of Royale-les-Eaux’s casino.
007 Casino Royale Martini Recipe
The recipe that appears in the films is exactly the same as the drink that James Bond orders in Ian Fleming’s book, although in the films it is served in a cocktail glass rather than a champagne goblet.
The problem with the recipe is that Kina Lillet is no longer available. The same company currently produces Lillet Blanc which lacks the quinine found in quinine and therefore lacks its bitterness.
Bond is standing with Vesper at the bar by the time his drink is brought to him. Sipping it he tells Vesper “you know, that’s not half bad. I’m going to have to think up a name for that.”
Back in their room after surviving a fight in the hotel stairwell Bond grabs a decanter of whisky and tumbler. In a very Flemingesque scene he finishes cleaning himself up, pours a large slug into the glass and knocks it back.
After being wiped out by Le Chiffre the tournament director calls for an hour break. During the break Bond fails to convince Vesper to give him more funds and so he heads for the bar and orders a vodka martini. “Shaken or stirred?” asks the bartender. “Do I look like I give a damn” is the reply.
Luckily Felix finally introduces himself soon after and offers to bankroll Bond for the remainder of the game. But soon after he sits back at the table Bond realises his martini has been poisoned. Staggering through the restaurant he grabs a tumbler and salt and heads for the toilet where he makes himself sick.
Bond then heads outside to his Aston Martin DBS. From there he contacts the MI6 medical boffins for advice on what to do. He follows their instructions only for the defibrillator to fail because of a loose wire. Vesper seems to be quite handy as an electrician though. When she finds Bond unconscious with his heart stopped she reconnects the wire and restarts his heart.
After finally beating Le Chiffre Bond dines with Vesper in the hotel restaurant. Sipping his cocktail he tells her “you know, I think I’ll call that a Vesper”.
“Because of the bitter aftertaste?” she replies.
| IBA official cocktail | |
|---|---|
| Type | Cocktail |
| Primary alcohol by volume | |
| Served | Straight up; without ice |
| Standard garnish | lemon twist |
| Standard drinkware | Cocktail glass |
| IBA specified ingredients |
|
| Preparation | Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish. |
| Timing | Before dinner |
| Cocktail glasses are commonly used instead of Champagne goblets in modern versions of this drink. Lillet Blanc should be substituted with Cocchi Americano for a closer approximation of the original cocktail. Vesper recipe at International Bartenders Association | |
The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet. The formulations of its ingredients have changed since its original publication in print, and so some modern bartenders have created new versions which attempt to more closely mimic the original taste.
Origin[edit]
Casino Royale Martini
The drink was invented and named by Ian Fleming in the 1953 James Bond novel Casino Royale.
'A dry martini,' he 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 think of a good name.'
Fleming continues with Bond telling the barman, after taking a long sip, 'Excellent ... but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better,' and then adds in an aside, 'Mais n'enculons pas des mouches'[1] (English: 'But let's not bugger flies'—a vulgar French expression meaning 'let's not split hairs'). Felix Leiter jokingly suggests Bond name his drink the Molotov Cocktail.
In the next chapter, 'Pink Lights and Champagne', Bond names the drink the Vesper. At the time of his first introduction to the beautiful Vesper Lynd, he asks her name in an interrogation indirecte, 'I can't drink the health of your new frock without knowing your Christian name.' After learning her name, Bond decides that it is perfect for his recently invented cocktail. He tells Vesper that his search for a name is over if she will permit him to name the drink after her.
A Vesper differs from Bond's usual cocktail of choice, the martini, in that it uses both gin and vodka, Kina Lillet instead of the usual dry vermouth, and a lemon peel instead of an olive. Although there is a lot of discussion on the Vesper, it is only ordered by Bond once throughout Fleming's novels – although Bond drinks the Vesper in the film Casino Royale – and by later books Bond is ordering regular vodka martinis, though he also drinks regular gin martinis. Felix Leiter ordered a Vesper for Bond in the novel Diamonds Are Forever, albeit with Cresta Blanca in place of Kina Lillet, which Bond politely remarks is the 'Best Vermouth I ever tasted.'[2] It may be that Fleming decided not to have Bond order a Vesper again due to the way in which Casino Royale ends.
In actuality, the book version of the Vesper was created by Fleming's friend Ivar Bryce. In Bryce's copy of Casino Royale Fleming inscribed 'For Ivar, who mixed the first Vesper and said the good word.' In his book You Only Live Once, Bryce details that Fleming was first served a Vesper, a drink of a frozen rum concoction with fruit and herbs, at evening drinks by the butler of an elderly couple in Jamaica, the Duncans, the butler commenting, 'Vespers' are served.' Vespers or evensong is the sixth of the seven canonical hours of the divine office and are observed at sunset, the 'violet hour', Bond's later chosen hour of fame for his martini Vesper.[3]
Casino Royale Martini Order
However, the cocktail has been misrecorded after mishearing the name in several instances, resulting in its being alternatively named 'Vespa'.[4]
James Bond Casino Royale Martini Scene
Contemporary versions[edit]
Since Kina Lillet was discontinued in 1986 and the proof of Gordon's Gin was cut in 1992, the original recipe can no longer be made exactly. Substitutes can be made that attempt to recapture the original flavour of the drink:
- Lillet Blanc is still available, but Kina Lillet additionally included quinine (hence its name).[5][6]Cocchi Americano can be used as a substitute to recreate the original recipe,[7] which has a more bitter finish than using Lillet Blanc.[8]
- For a more traditional flavour, 50% (100-proof) vodka is used to bring the alcohol content of the vodka back to 1953 levels, with grain vodka being preferred.[9]
- Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, American Beefeater, or Broker's gin provides the traditional flavour of 47% (94 proof) gin, whereas Gordon's Gin, in the UK domestic market, has been cut to 37.5% (75 proof); in spite of this, a 47.3% (94.6 proof) export version of Gordon's Gin still exists today.[5] (The extra dilution caused by shaking is the reason to prefer it over stirring in this high-alcohol drink.)
Esquire printed the following update of the recipe in 2006:
Shake (if you must) with plenty of cracked ice. 3 oz Tanqueray gin, 1 oz 100-proof [50%] Stolichnaya vodka, 1⁄2 oz Lillet Blanc, 1⁄8 teaspoon (or less) quinine powder or, in desperation, 2 dashes of bitters. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and twist a large swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.
The recipe concluded, 'Shoot somebody evil.'[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Casino Royale Vesper Martini Quote
- ^ abFleming, Ian (1953). Casino Royale. Glidrose Productions. p. 45. ISBN0-14-200202-X.
- ^Fleming, Ian (1956). Diamonds Are Forever. Thomas & Mercer. p. 71. ISBN9781612185460.
- ^Bryce, Ivar (1975). You Only Live Once - Memories of Ian Fleming (Biography). Weidenfeld and Nicolson Productions. p. 106. ISBN0-297-77022-5.
- ^'Pre made cocktails: the bartender's secret'. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ ab'The Vesper'.
- ^Embury, David (1948). The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. Doubleday.
- ^Leah Hyslop (19 June 2015). 'How to make a James Bond martini'. The Telegraph.
- ^Serious Eats, The Vesper Cocktail Recipe
- ^DTS (2010-07-04). 'The Vesper'. Summer Fruit Cup. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^David Wondrich, 'James Bond Walks Into a Bar...,' Esquire, 1 November 2006.
External links[edit]
- Wondrich, David. 'James Bond Walks Into A Bar... and orders a Vesper, a cocktail that hasn't aged too well. Here, a remake.'Esquire magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- 'Shaken and Stirred, James Bond Loves His Booze'TIME magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2008.