Garnish:
Lemon zest twist
How to make:
SHAKE first 7 ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled glass. TOP with a splash tonic water.
1 fl oz | Rutte Dry Gin |
1 fl oz | Ketel One Vodka |
1/2 fl oz | Kina aromatised wine |
1/2 fl oz | Lillet Blanc (or other aromatized wine) |
1/6 fl oz | Becherovka liqueur |
1/12 fl oz | Grenadine/pomegranate syrup (2:1) |
1/12 fl oz | Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water, 65.0°brix) |
1/2 fl oz | Thomas Henry Tonic Water |
Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

Review:
Bittersweet and Martini in style but with the hard edges smoothed and a hint of eastern spice added. Perhaps more a digestivo than an aperitivo.
History:
Created in 2008 by yours truly at the Cabinet Room, London, England.
James Bond named his favourite style of Martini (Vesper) after the beautiful Russian agent Vesper Lynd. This version is 'Reversed' due to the dramatically increased ratio of aromatised wines. Fittingly my drink mixes East and West European ingredients with the introduction of Becherovka. And where there is Becherovka there should be tonic water (see Be-ton).
I originally made this with 5ml homemade pomegranate syrup to add much-needed sweetness (to counter kina bitterness) in the form of a fitting blood-like syrup. Swapping to commercial grenadine added too much colour and flavour hence now equal parts sugar and grenadine syrup.
Nutrition:
One serving of Reversed Vesper & Tonic 'Martini' contains 210 calories.
Alcohol content:
- 1.9 standard drinks
- 22.6% alc./vol. (45.2° proof)
- 26 grams of pure alcohol
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