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Vesper Dry Martini
Yes, yes, it's a spirituous drink without fruit juices that best shows its crystalline beauty when stirred rather than shaken. However, it's the one Martini...
Gabrielle14
18th August at 01:09
Has anyone tried swapping aromatized wine for Suze or another gentian liqueur? If so, please let me know how it came out.
27th June at 02:32
Simply Supurb!
25th June at 16:02
We tried very hard to make this work for us, eventually settling on: 30ml Daylsford Dry Gin; 30ml Kettel One Vodka; 10ml Maidenii Kina; and 5ml Lillet Blanc (for the sentiment). Maybe we just don't like dry Martinis, whether shaken, thrown, stirred or any other circus-monkey trick the bartenders come up with.
29th May at 22:46
Very much enjoyed this version. As much as I love Duke's Bar and respect Alessandro Palazzi, I have to say I prefer Difford's version, in part because from personal experience on previous trips to London, Duke's recipe at 3.9 standard drinks puts you on the floor, especially before dinner! I did however use as his preferred / suggested vermouth, 1/3 oz English Sacred vermouth, the advertised equivalent to Kina Lillet which is no longer produced, instead of the replacements as given in this recipe. I have no way of knowing if it truly replicates Kina Lillet, its inclusion here produces an excellent drink, and at least for this drink, I highly recommend it.
11th April at 17:01
I tried it with Plymouth Original Strength Gin and bacon fat washed Absolut Vodka. Almost blew me away :)
20th December 2024 at 20:20
I rather like this martini and generally use the books quantities
6 shots Old Tom
2 shots Chopin Potato Vodka
1 shot Tempus Fugit Kina Aero d'Or
1 shot water
All into a glass bottle and placed in the freezer for 24 hours.
I find it makes two good serves bottle shaken with the water allowing for dilution.
6 shots Old Tom
2 shots Chopin Potato Vodka
1 shot Tempus Fugit Kina Aero d'Or
1 shot water
All into a glass bottle and placed in the freezer for 24 hours.
I find it makes two good serves bottle shaken with the water allowing for dilution.
13th November 2024 at 02:59
Thanks to John Carr (below) for the link to a great story! This is likely my favorite dry martini variant - I have Cocchi Americano Blanco and Lillet Blanco, and I prefer the Cocchi to the Lillet so I used that for the "vermouth". I also find the volume of the cocktail too much, so I scale it down. That said, when I'm in the mood for a dry martini - this is my favorite.
29th March at 13:59
The most obvious move would be to lobby Lillet to reproduce the original Kina Lillet. I’m sure they would be swamped with interest once they understood the market potential amongst connoisseurs. . .
10th August 2024 at 02:43
The real star of the story is actually this lady, who I just found out about https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67298675
One of the injustices of patriarchal and racist history is that Ian Fleming is (rightly) a household name, whereas even more incredible people like Krystyna are unknown.
One of the injustices of patriarchal and racist history is that Ian Fleming is (rightly) a household name, whereas even more incredible people like Krystyna are unknown.
25th June at 15:34
So, as usual, the Brits used someone who was useful to their imperial ambitions and when she was no longer useful flushed her down the toilet. Why would anyone be surprised? All of this "shaken, not stirred" 007 nonsense is pathetic cover for the fact that Mr Bond was a ruthless killer in service to the Crown. End of sermon...can we please now get back to discussing cocktails?
9th June at 01:55
Hey, great article!
31st July 2024 at 13:26
Tried with monkey 47 gin as per their website spec: 60 gin, 15 vodka, 7.5 Lillet ( in my case Cocchi americano). Delicious and certainly emphasises the outstanding gin, tho perhaps not entirely balanced.
4th June 2024 at 10:44
As someone who’s not a fan of dry styled drinks, I still decided to make the Vespar Martini anyways and just like what Avery said, I also wasn’t a fan of this as well, although I’m going to try the Reverse Vespar Martini next and see how that goes, although I don’t have high hopes but can’t say it’s bad until I try it
19th January at 12:17
The reversed vesper and tonic is very approachable, much less of the raw alcohol and a lot more sweetness. If you’re okay with a regular G&T you may well like that.
28th May 2024 at 18:20
I uh...no, sorry. I think you *really* need to be a fan of martinis in general to enjoy this. This really, really is not for me and by the time I got halfway through it was so warmed up that it was undrinkable for my palate.
21st May 2024 at 12:32
Having a bottle of Gordon’s that emerged from the back of cupboard, one could but honour this tradition. Sadly, Gordon’s have succumbed to “shrinkflation”, and the standard product is now a measly 37% abv in Australia.
The essentials of the drink remain, however, and a stellar conception it is. Five stars always. Tonight made with Cocchi Americano, as many others here, and a beautiful combination of dry, herbal, citrus, bitter quinine and unapologetic alcohol it is.
The essentials of the drink remain, however, and a stellar conception it is. Five stars always. Tonight made with Cocchi Americano, as many others here, and a beautiful combination of dry, herbal, citrus, bitter quinine and unapologetic alcohol it is.
2nd April 2024 at 01:22
We use Cocchi Americano. Find the flavours sharper and still my favourite. Since I love my Martinis shaken, this is perfect for me.
26th March 2024 at 22:05
Nearly as good as a dry martini. Tanqueray, Moskovskaya, and Cocchi Americano. Proportions as listed in the recipe.
26th February 2024 at 19:21
I recently treated myself to a bottle of L'Aero D'Or Kina , I already had a bottle Lillet Blanc, but added to Tanqueray gin and No 9 small batch Ukrainian grain vodka and mixed to you preferred recipe I can only describe it as 'Cocktail Heaven'. Well done Mr Fleming.
12th January 2024 at 23:12
(Continued) and the blended 1/3 oz of Cocci Americano + Kina L’Aero D’Or. It’s splendid! After I finish this one, I’ll try a second with just the Kina L’Aero and see how it compares.
12th January 2024 at 23:07
I’ve been mixing Vespers for a while now, using whatever London gin I had, whatever vodka I had, and Lillet Blanc. Then I switched to Cocci Americano, which at first delighted, then became more cloying (is it cinnamon that sticks out like a splinter?) But today, gentlemen, today I have at last found the Kina L’Aero D’Or, and was able to follow Difford’s recipe: Death’s Door gin (a non-floral, juniper-forward craft gin from Wisconsin), Grey Goose vodka, (continued)
16th October 2023 at 00:21
Tried this again using 1/3 oz Cocchi Americano. Much cleaner falvour and a wonderful hint of the quinine. As with Mr. Bond, we did shake instead of stirring. I think we have our winning recipe.
10th October 2023 at 13:51
I would suggest also trying a 'spelt-based' vodka like Orkisz from Poland. Very pure taste and really works with the Vesper. I'm sure Bond would have approved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6gtPS788JM
11th September 2023 at 11:50
Four pillars gin, Ketel one vodka and 10ml Lillet blanc making an absolutely delicious martini. Have ordered some cinchona bark powder to add to the Lillet as mentioned in your kina article Simon . looking first ton the first taste!
4th December 2023 at 10:45
Yes! Ground in a mortar and pestle and added 1.5 ml to the bottle as suggested on the Kina page. Added a subtle bitterness.
11th September 2023 at 16:21
Go easy with the cinchona bark - a little adds bags of flavour. Please also beware of the health risks of ingesting too much!
27th June 2023 at 19:16
An interesting bit of trivia to add to the Fleming—Martini lore is that his former Office of Strategic Services colleague Ernest Cuneo would later write that "Of all the maddening trivia through which I have suffered, nothing quite matched Fleming’s instructions on how his [martinis] were to be made. [He] was painfully specific about both the vermouth and the gin and explained each step to the guy who was going to mix it as if it were a delicate brain operation...." (continued)
27th June 2023 at 19:17
(continued) "... Several times I impatiently asked him why the hell he didn’t go downstairs and mix it himself, but he ignored me as if he hadn’t heard and continued right on with his instructions. Equally annoyingly, he always warmly congratulated the captain when he tasted it as if he had just completed a fleet manoeuvre at flank speed."
Sounds like a real bore to drink with, quite frankly.
Sounds like a real bore to drink with, quite frankly.
29th May 2023 at 16:46
Celebrated Mr. Fleming's birthday by watching Casino Royale here in the high country of Santa Fe, NM. Bond would have used Russian vodka but we don't have any so used 0.5 oz NATO vodka (Absolut) instead, along with 1.5 oz Hendrick's gin and 0.25 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco, with a lemon twist. Shaken, not stirred. We preferred the Bitter Bianco as a Kina Lillet substitute since we found the flavorings in Cocchi Americano a bit too warm and distracting for a martini.
29th May 2023 at 00:38
Bombay dry, Ketel One and Cocchi Americano in the classic 3/1/0.5 ratio. Shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass with a long thin piece of lemon peel. It's lovely, and a fitting tribute to Mr. Fleming on his birthday on a cool spring evening here in the high desert of the Great Basin!
17th October 2022 at 16:41
Used Gordon's dry gin, Svedka vodka, Kina L'Aero d'Or, and Lillet Blanc. Rather enjoyed this recipe. At best, I think the small measures of other ingredients merely enhanced the expressions of an ordinary, yet serviceable gin. I think I will definitely make this again, but using Tanqueray, or something comparable, as well as a rye vodka. See where it goes. Not too shabby though. (17 Oct 2022, 12:41p)
30th September 2022 at 00:38
Simon your recipe as written for Vesper Martini and in your video do not mesh. Altering the recipe to state 2x lillet blanc would simply my finger math. I am a big fan of your website. I really appreciate your commitment to discerning drinkers. Look me up if you ever get to Florida
7th August 2022 at 22:46
Made this one again with Cocchi Americano and everything else the same. What a difference. Our previous attempt was good, but this was outstanding. Never thought I would be a martini drinker, but thanks to Simon, I have learned to enjoy them.
28th May 2022 at 23:13
Interestingly, Boothby (1934) contains a cocktail called Vesper. So there was already a drink called Vesper in existence almost two decades before Casino Royale. However, while it is a gin based drink, it doesn’t resemble the Vesper Martini.
29th May 2022 at 09:35
Many thanks, James. I've added a reference to Boothby above along with his Vesper recipe.
23rd April 2022 at 09:55
So, Simon: this idea of the last gin added automatically makes it “preferred”, but that’s not right, surely. I have at least a dozen different gins (all without fruit flavours!) and use them for different drinks. No single gin is preferred over any other in general. I would suggest you let the user decide what the “preferred” dry gin is (or none!) rather than automatically assuming that it’s the most recently-added one.
28th May 2022 at 20:16
Oh, dear! I had assumed that the clever website selected the best brand in my cupboard for each recipe. Now I shall have to try every one again with each brand of gin.
24th April 2022 at 10:13
We're working on an upgrade which, if you have multiple products within one category such as gin, will allow you to select the preferred one for each particular cocktail. Please bear with us in the meantime as just one part of a bigger upgrade of our functionality.
14th April 2022 at 00:10
For James Bond birthday, decided to make a version of the Vesper that a friend makes. It is 1 part vodka, 1 part gin, 1/2 part Luxardo Bitter Bianco. Shaken. Served with lemon twist. It has a slightly different taste of the traditional Vesper, but very, very good.
7th January 2022 at 22:13
Having one of these and staying with the book version of 3:1:1/2 Gordons / Ketel / Tempus Fugit Kina L'aero d'Or to aim as close to the original as possible
Shaken of course
Shaken of course
12th April 2022 at 00:15
Having had several versions including the one on the Kina L’aero label, this original is my favorite.