Vesper
CoupeStir
Origin
1953
Invented in fiction by James Bond in Ian Fleming's 1953 novel Casino Royale and named after Vesper Lynd. Fleming credited his friend Ivar Bryce with mixing the first one in real life. Fleming himself reportedly found the drink 'unpalatable' when he later tried it.
Variations
- Original Bond SpecShake instead of stir, per Casino Royale
Bond's bracingly dry coupe — gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc, shaken (or stirred) until ice-cold.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 0.75 oz Vodka
- 0.5 oz Lillet Blanc
- Lemon peel
Instructions
- Combine gin, vodka, and Lillet in a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir for 20–30 seconds until very cold.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Express a thin lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
Tips
- Original Lillet Kina is gone; Cocchi Americano gets you closer to the bitter quinine note.
- Bond shook his — stirring keeps the drink cleaner and silkier.