The James Bond Martini -
"Shaken, Not Stirred"

"Vesper? I do hope you gave your parents hell for that."
(james bond - "casino royale")

The most famous martini drinker of all, is the James Bond martini, he preferred his martinis shaken, not stirred. To shake a martini vigorously with ice was thought to alter the drink's molecular structure and eliminate the oily mouth feel from the gin.

I think Bond liked shaken martinis because more water from the ice diluted his drink and made him stay sober, after all, he had a country to protect and represent, and we all know martinis like to make heads spin fast.

Of course, James Bond used both vodka or gin in his martinis it depends mostly on which brand sponsored the movie at the time.

Casino Royale And "The Vesper"

Casino Royale was written by Ian Fleming as the first ever James Bond book in 1953. Ian was a commander who worked with naval intelligence in the war - he really did lead a life of high stake gambling in exotic locations. He wrote this book from his homestead "Goldeneye" in Jamaica.

Quoted from Ian Fleming's novel, Casino Royale

"A dry martini" he said."Oui monsieur","Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Lillet (French aperitif).", "Shake it very well until it's ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?"

This cocktail is named Vesper in the movie , and it became a hit right away.

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleasant with the idea.

"Gosh that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

Bond laughed. "When I'm ... er ... concentrating." he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."

He watched carefully as the deep glass became frosted with the pale golden drink, slightly aerated by the bruising of the shaker. He reached for it and took a long sip.

"Excellent," he said to the barman, "but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better."

A short while later when he's sharing a carafe of vodka, nestled in a bowl of crushed ice, with the female agent, he learns her name is Vesper. He says:

"Can I borrow it?' He explained about the special martini he had invented and his search for a name for it. 'The Vesper,' he said. "It sounds perfect and it's very appropriate to the violet hour when my cocktail will now be drunk all over the world. Can I have it?"

James Bond Martini - The Vesper

Bar tools used: Shaker, Strainer

Glass: Martini

3 oz Gin

1 oz Vodka
0.5 oz Lillet Blanc
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail / martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Lillet and Vermouth:
Lillet is not technically a vermouth but it is a blend of wine grapes, oranges, orange peels and quinine.

Vermouth, on the other hand, is a fortified wine - i.e. wine strengthened up with alcohol. They then add in herbs and spices. The main types of vermouth are dry vermouth, sweet red vermouth, and white vermouth.

Cocktail-Guru Tip