The Vesper - The 007 of Martinis, James Bond Style

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Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to the real Bond, James Bond Martini? Direct from the 1953 edition of "Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming:

"A dry martini,' he [Bond] 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?"

There you have it. This is how it all started and I would like you to note that this is not really a classic martini at all as it uses both gin and vodka and Kina Lillet - which is not a vermouth, it is a quinine infused, wine based, orange flavored liqueur!

Bond named this cocktail a Vesper after a lovely double agent in Casino Royale.

As for Shaken, Not Stirred

The first appearance of that famous martini phrase appears in Fleming's novel Diamonds Are Forever (1956). Bond does not utter the line until Dr. No (1958) where the actual phrase is "shaken and not stirred" not "shaken, not stirred." The first time the phrase is uttered in film is by Sean Connery in Goldfinger (1964). In 2005 the American Film Institute listed the phrase #90 on Best Movie Quotes of the last 100 years.

So, my fellow martini lovers, James Bond created the very first designer martini way before the Cosmo or an Appletini burst upon the cocktail scene!

I knew there was a reason I always had a thing for James Bond but I still cringe at his request for a champagne glass instead of my beloved martini glass.

PORTRAIT OF A SOILED DOVE
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