The Vesper - Shaken, not stirred

THIS is the now-famous cocktail attributed to James Bond, in Ian Fleming's novel, "Casino Royale." Bond orders a vodka martini, but instructs the bartender to make it a new way, using: Three measures of Gordon's, one measure of vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet . . . Shaken, not stirred, and garnished with a generous peel of lemon.

For one reason or another, the phrase "shaken, not stirred" has migrated to apply to any vodka martini associated with Fleming's character, James Bond. Not so. Bond was quite the aficionado of the martini

and expected his to be stirred. But The Vesper was not just ANY martini, it was an homage to the spy Vesper Lynd (a pun on "West Berlin").

History aside, this is the recipe for a Vesper cocktail (Vesper martini). The original recipe in Casino Royale used Kina Lillet, which contained quinine, adding a touch of bitterness. The recipe below includes a dash of orange bitters, which will suffice.

The Vesper

2 oz Gordon's Dry Gin

2/3 oz Vodka

1/3 oz Lillet (a French aperitif)

Dash of Fee's Orange Bitters (to restore the bitterness originally in Kina Lillet)

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake very

vigorously, until ice cold. Strain into a champagne coupe or similar cocktail glass. Garnish with a "large, thin slice of lemon peel."

An additional recommendation might be to don a tuxedo and formal wear to really enjoy this cocktail . . .

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Cinema recommendation: What else? Casino Royale, in any of its iterations!