Missing 3
Tonight if you have Gin, Vodka, and Lillet Blanc.
Missing: Gin, Vodka, Lillet Blanc
Gin also goes into: Gin & Tonic, Martini, Bee's Knees
Ingredients
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Missing a bottle? Stock your pantry to see what else you can mix.
How to make
- Freeze a martini glass.
- This drink is served ice-cold and up, with no ice in the glass.
- Add 2 oz gin, 1 oz vodka, and ½ oz Lillet Blanc to a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard — the Bond spec is shaken, not stirred, so it chills faster and drinks a little lighter and wetter than a stirred Martini; the gin should still lead.
- Double-strain into the frozen glass so ice chips do not ride along.
- Express a large lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
- Cocchi Americano can stand in for Lillet if you want more of the original Kina bitterness.
History
James Bond invents the Vesper in Ian Fleming's 1953 novel Casino Royale: three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shaken until ice-cold, named for Vesper Lynd. Fleming credited his friend Ivar Bryce with mixing the first one. Kina Lillet is gone; Lillet Blanc is the pantry stand-in, or Cocchi Americano if you want the old quinine snap. Unlike a classic Martini this splits gin and vodka and is shaken on purpose — colder, a touch more diluted, with a light foam. Stir it if you want silk instead of that Bond chill. Keep the 2:1:½ pour so the gin still leads. If gin, vodka, and a bottle of Lillet are already on the shelf, this is the literary martini to mix instead of buying another vermouth.
Glassware
The classic V-shape keeps chilled, no-ice drinks cold while the wide rim delivers aroma on every sip.
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Vesper FAQ
Why is a Vesper shaken, not stirred?
Because Bond wrote it that way, and shaking does change the drink: it chills faster, adds more water, and throws a light foam. A Vesper is gin, vodka, and Lillet — no citrus — so a stirred Vesper is silkier and clearer. This page follows the shaken spec; double-strain so ice chips do not ride along.
What ingredients are in a Vesper?
A Vesper is made with gin, vodka, and lillet blanc. Amounts and pantry matching are in the ingredients list on this page.
How do you make a Vesper?
Freeze a martini glass. This drink is served ice-cold and up, with no ice in the glass. Add 2 oz gin, 1 oz vodka, and ½ oz Lillet Blanc to a shaker with ice. Shake hard — the Bond spec is shaken, not stirred, so it chills faster and drinks a little lighter and wetter than a stirred Martini; the gin should still lead. Double-strain into the frozen glass so ice chips do not ride along. Express a large lemon peel over the surface and drop it in. Cocchi Americano can stand in for Lillet if you want more of the original Kina bitterness.
What glass do you serve a Vesper in?
Serve a Vesper in a Martini glass. The classic V-shape keeps chilled, no-ice drinks cold while the wide rim delivers aroma on every sip.
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