James´s drink order (Vesper)?

chefash · November 2006

When james ordered the drink at the poker table, he described to the barman how to make it. Can anyone tell me the recipe he gave to the bartender? -{

Edit: Sorry the typo in the title was getting to annoy me - Pred

Predator · November 2006

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one 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?"
This is from the novel ... I remember Bond's line that it was certainly 3 to 1 for the gin and vodka, but can't remember about the Kina Lillet.

Thanks jsw for the quote from http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=17886&cpage=1

Bad Dog · November 2006

I remember Esquire printed a newly updated version of the classic Vesper in their magazine. All I can remember is that the new version was 3 parts Tanqueray and 1 part Stolichnaya 100 vodka. Sorry I can't remember the rest, but I'll see if I can dig up a link.

Found it! {[]
http://esquire.mondosearch.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind.cfg&host_id=42&page_id=2149&query=vesper&hiword=vesper%20

Red Indian · November 2006

Anyone ever try this? I'm partial to Vodka martinis myself.

manichotlip · November 2006

Predator wrote:

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one 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?"
This is from the novel ... I remember Bond's line that it was certainly 3 to 1 for the gin and vodka, but can't remember about the Kina Lillet.

Thanks jsw for the quote from http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=17886&cpage=1

Yeah I got that as well - trouble is, I live in Denmark, where does one get Kina Lillet? I should like to treat all my friends with this drink on New Years....

Red Indian · November 2006

Kina Lillet was created at the end of the 19th century in France, where wine-based tonics flavoured with quinine were popular.

Such drinks are known in France as quinquinas due to the addition of the quinine, a bitter ingredient that is extracted from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, or "kina kina". The ingredient acts as a muscle relaxant and has been used for centuries to treat malaria.

Kina Lillet was launched in 1895 as an apéritif and tonic and quickly became known as "the apéritif of Bordeaux". In addition to the wine and quinine, it consisted of a blend of fruit liqueurs.

In the 1920s the company launched Lillet Dry for the English market, which was usually mixed with gin, while the company reduced the prominence of Kina in the name and sometime in the 1930s Kina seems to have been dropped altogether.

A further name change occurred in the 1960s, after Lillet Rouge was introduced; the original product became known as Lillet Blanc (or Lillet Blonde depending on territory), a name which is retained today.

The 1950s saw a revival in the fashion for cocktails and Lillet became popular once more in England - "Everyone enjoys and gin and Lillet" ran the ad - and the drink took off in the United States.

This coincided with Ian Fleming getting down to writing his "spy story to end all spy stories", which included the recipe for James Bond's first contribution to the cocktail world, the Vesper (overshadowed later by the Vodka martini of course). The recipe given by Fleming is as follows:

3 measures of Gordon's gin
1 measure of vodka
1/2 a measure of Kina Lillet
Shake until ice cold and serve in a deep champagne goblet with a large thin slice of lemon peel

Kingsley Amis, in The Book of Bond, claimed that Fleming had made an error in his recipe because the quinine in Kina Lillet would make the drink too bitter and it should be made with "Lillet vermouth" instead.

Probably Amis was referring to Lillet Dry (see above), but what is certainly true is that Bond was a little out of touch - by the time Casino Royale was written the original drink was known simply as Lillet.

Unfortunately it is impossible to test Amis' theory today; in 1986 the recipe was changed and the quinine content decreased to reduce bitterness. The result is a fruitier drink with a pronounced orange flavour.

Unfortunately Lillet isn't the easiest product to find and given its role in Casino Royale, it is surprising that Lillet don't seem to be using the release of the film as a promotional opportunity.

Here in the US:

http://store.morrellwine.com/search.jsp?s=lillet&GO=%3E

In the UK:

http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=1810

P.S. How appropriate that Fleming never wrote of Bond drinking another Vesper!

Agent Wade · November 2006

In the little hamlet of Ann Arbor, MI, Lillet can be found at Whole Foods. I held the bottle in my hand.

delliott101 · November 2006

I looked out for the order the second time I saw CR... it is verbatim the same order as in the novel.

jbfreak · November 2006

Red Indian wrote:

Anyone ever try this? I'm partial to Vodka martinis myself.

Never tried it. I've gotta find some Kina Lillet to make the recipe complete, and then I will have tried it.

mike77 · November 2006

I use the gin ,the vodka and extra dry martini instead of the lillet

barracuda · December 2006

Red Indian wrote:

Kina Lillet was created at the end of the 19th century in France, where wine-based tonics flavoured with quinine were popular.

Such drinks are known in France as quinquinas due to the addition of the quinine, a bitter ingredient that is extracted from the bark of the South American cinchona tree, or "kina kina". The ingredient acts as a muscle relaxant and has been used for centuries to treat malaria.

Kina Lillet was launched in 1895 as an apéritif and tonic and quickly became known as "the apéritif of Bordeaux". In addition to the wine and quinine, it consisted of a blend of fruit liqueurs.

In the 1920s the company launched Lillet Dry for the English market, which was usually mixed with gin, while the company reduced the prominence of Kina in the name and sometime in the 1930s Kina seems to have been dropped altogether.

A further name change occurred in the 1960s, after Lillet Rouge was introduced; the original product became known as Lillet Blanc (or Lillet Blonde depending on territory), a name which is retained today.

The 1950s saw a revival in the fashion for cocktails and Lillet became popular once more in England - "Everyone enjoys and gin and Lillet" ran the ad - and the drink took off in the United States.

This coincided with Ian Fleming getting down to writing his "spy story to end all spy stories", which included the recipe for James Bond's first contribution to the cocktail world, the Vesper (overshadowed later by the Vodka martini of course). The recipe given by Fleming is as follows:

3 measures of Gordon's gin
1 measure of vodka
1/2 a measure of Kina Lillet
Shake until ice cold and serve in a deep champagne goblet with a large thin slice of lemon peel

Kingsley Amis, in The Book of Bond, claimed that Fleming had made an error in his recipe because the quinine in Kina Lillet would make the drink too bitter and it should be made with "Lillet vermouth" instead.

Probably Amis was referring to Lillet Dry (see above), but what is certainly true is that Bond was a little out of touch - by the time Casino Royale was written the original drink was known simply as Lillet.

Unfortunately it is impossible to test Amis' theory today; in 1986 the recipe was changed and the quinine content decreased to reduce bitterness. The result is a fruitier drink with a pronounced orange flavour.

Unfortunately Lillet isn't the easiest product to find and given its role in Casino Royale, it is surprising that Lillet don't seem to be using the release of the film as a promotional opportunity.

Just to post the source of this cut and paste: http://www.tjbd.co.uk/content/drink/kina-lillet.htm - useful to know sometimes.

Predator · December 2006

Agent Wade wrote:

In the little hamlet of Ann Arbor, MI, Lillet can be found at Whole Foods. I held the bottle in my hand.

And I just picked up (and bought) the last bottle in Calais Carrefour. A Vesper is on its way ...

sampile2005 · December 2006

I know this sounds stupid but where can you buy Kina Lillet because I went down to Tesco and I couldn't find it

VW2006 · December 2006

Predator wrote:

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one 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?"
This is from the novel ... I remember Bond's line that it was certainly 3 to 1 for the gin and vodka, but can't remember about the Kina Lillet.

Thanks jsw for the quote from http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=17886&cpage=1

"I'll have one too. No fruit" (something along those lines) - Felix Leiter, CIA.

No fruit? American version I guess.

lavabubble · December 2006

I would imagine that it might be available in some of the London retailers or perhaps if you have a specialist drinks retailer locally but the link above in the thread is a mail order for it and its £13.89 plus £4.pp p&p.

Expensive but if all you'll ever use it for is half measures into a Vesper then unless you like it, its gonna last a long long time.

sampile2005 · December 2006

lavabubble wrote:

I would imagine that it might be available in some of the London retailers or perhaps if you have a specialist drinks retailer locally but the link above in the thread is a mail order for it and its £13.89 plus £4.pp p&p.

Expensive but if all you'll ever use it for is half measures into a Vesper then unless you like it, its gonna last a long long time.

Excellent!! Cheers bruv!

Predator · December 2006

lavabubble wrote:

I would imagine that it might be available in some of the London retailers or perhaps if you have a specialist drinks retailer locally but the link above in the thread is a mail order for it and its £13.89 plus £4.pp p&p.

Expensive but if all you'll ever use it for is half measures into a Vesper then unless you like it, its gonna last a long long time.

Mine was around €12 so that is pretty pricey.

lavabubble · December 2006

Predator wrote:

lavabubble wrote:

I would imagine that it might be available in some of the London retailers or perhaps if you have a specialist drinks retailer locally but the link above in the thread is a mail order for it and its £13.89 plus £4.pp p&p.

Expensive but if all you'll ever use it for is half measures into a Vesper then unless you like it, its gonna last a long long time.

Mine was around €12 so that is pretty pricey.

You lucky person!! Both Carrefour and the Tesco Wine are lovely and cheap at Calais -{

You'll have to let us know what it is like so I can decide whether or not to make the investment. I am not a gin fan so would need to be something pretty special to convince me.

barracuda · December 2006

There is also a short ebook available with some 007 drink recipes in. It's not too comprehensive, but worthwhile looking at as it's free - you can find it here.

mpoplawski · December 2006

I searched and found Lillet in the local liquor stores about a year ago. It is not hard to find in the northeast U.S. I have made many "Vespers" and enjoy them. I am also very much into martinis and must say this version of the martini is very good and is a nice change of pace.

delliott101 · December 2006

lavabubble wrote:

I am not a gin fan so would need to be something pretty special to convince me.

I'm not a gin fan either.. but I have made a Vesper subbing the Lillet with Martini and Rossi extra dry vermouth. The combination of vodka, gin and vermouth takes the edges off of all three ingredients and makes the drink really good.

After I saw CR the first time, my 3/4 full bottle of gin that I had for the past 3 years is now just about empty.

James´s drink order (Vesper)?

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