Bond named the cocktail the Vesper in honor of a woman he would come to love (despite her betrayal), lose and pine for. Shake it very well, until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.” Not only does Bond show off his knowledge of lovely aperitifs with his call for Kina Lillet in the cocktail, but he also proves himself an ace drinker by splitting the base between vodka and gin -a move that balances the cocktail while heightening all of the citrusy, lightly herbal flavors. In Ian Fleming’s novel, Casino Royale, agent 007 instructs a bartender to mix “three measures Gordon’s, one of vodka, a half measure of Kina Lillet.
James Bond might be a Martini man, but he invented the Vesper.
