Patrick (Paddy) Moore The Vesper Martini — a drink to enjoy with a passport full of stamps
Born between the covers of Casino Royale and shaken into legend, the Vesper is not a drink so much as a departure gate announcement. Cool. Precise. Impeccably tailored. It arrives like a man who knows the hotel manager by name and never checks a bag.
Gin provides the backbone — brisk, botanical, very London — while vodka slips in quietly, smoothing the edges like a silk-lined tuxedo. Kina Lillet (or its modern cousin) adds a whisper of Riviera sunlight: citrusy, faintly bitter, and dangerously civilized. Stirred? Absolutely not. This one insists on being shaken, briskly, like a taxi racing the last ferry across Lake Como.
“A dry martini,” he said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”
“Oui, monsieur.’
“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”
‘Shaken, not stirred’ has become a famous trope in the film series, starting with Dr No, where Bond’s waiter assures our spy that his Vodka Martini is, ‘not stirred.’ It was in Goldfinger when our agent finally utters the immortal line for the first time, before being knowingly lampooned in 1967’s You Only Live Twice, when Bond’s contact Dikko Henderson hands the unimpressed spy his Martini stirred, and ‘not shaken.’ Naturally, each reference is more tongue-in-cheek throughout the Roger Moore-era (particularly in one scene where his nemesis Jaws is crushed in The Spy Who Loved Me). But it has remained a series constant, and the cocktail’s association with 007 has grown famous over the years.
Finished with a lemon peel — not a garnish, but a calling card — the Vesper is best enjoyed at golden hour, somewhere international, when the sea is calm and tomorrow’s plans are deliciously vague.
One sip and you’re already in transit.
Next round? Booked. 🍸
Ingredients
- 3 oz London dry gin
- 1 oz vodka
- ½ oz Lillet Blanc (the modern stand-in for Kina Lillet)
- Fresh lemon peel, for expression
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice — the kind that looks like it’s flown business class.
- Add gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc.
- Shake firmly and decisively. This is not the moment for hesitation.
- Strain into a well-chilled martini glass, crystal clear and impeccably composed.
- Express a strip of lemon peel over the surface to release its oils, then drop it in or discard — elegance allows options.
Serving note
Best enjoyed before dinner, after a flight, or anytime you feel the sudden urge to change countries. Pairs beautifully with tailored jackets, soft jazz, and plans that begin with “What if we stayed another night?”
A cocktail with momentum. 🍸
