James Bond has always been about the guns, the cars, the clothes, the action and the ravishing Bond girls. Yet, there’s an element that appears in every single bond film: his drinks.
As long as there’s been James Bond, there’s been his drink of choice: the Dry Martini. Even in his debut, Dr No, the debonair super spy has it twice; once in his hotel room in Jamaica and another when he’s speaking with his nemesis, the eponymous Dr No in the latter’s secret volcano lair. On the big screen, Bond has always had Martinis with vodka, not gin, which may or not be a combination of tradition and product placements. While my inclination has always been to the classic gin martini, the vodka martini is perhaps now even more popular thanks to the efforts of the British super spy.
The funny thing is that he doesn’t always order the same martini shaken but not stirred. In fact, there are a few variations- and I’ll cover two:
The Vesper
‘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?’
‘Certainly monsieur.’ The barman seemed pleased 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 think of a good name.’— Casino Royale, Chapter 7
Immortalised in prose by Ian Fleming himself, the real Vesper cocktail was created by his friend Ivar Bryce. The very first Bond girl, Vesper Lynd, lends her name to the cocktail. It’s a good fit; the word vesper- means “evening” in archaic English, and the drink itself is an aperitif enjoyed right before dinner. Sadly, Bond never again orders this cocktail after the events of Casino Royale, or more precisely, never does so because of those events.
For that matter, you can’t actually get the Vesper in its original form today, thanks to the ingredients disappearing over time.
Firstly, the original Gordon’s Gin is no longer available. While in Fleming’s time, the gin was bottled at 50% abv, today’s version is 37.5% abv due to a reformulation. A simple substitution for another London Dry would suffice to retain the original strength. Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire would both work.
More importantly, the Kina Lillet is truly gone; it was an aromatised wine made in Bordeaux…that no longer exists. It was named after the bark of Cinchona tree (known as Kina Kina tree in France), which is still the main component in tonic water. The original aperitif was made popular for its bitter citrus taste as much as its ability to stave off malaria. Over time, the medicinal properties became less important, and the bitterness less palatable to the average consumer. In 1986, the Kina Lillet was reformulated sans the bitter bark, and known today as Lillet Blanc. The young wine is very fruity and quite different from its ancestor.
Using just the Blanc hurts the drink’s properties as an aperitif, which almost always has a bitter component to awaken the tastebuds and start the process of salivation. There are a few ways to get a reasonable proxy of the original flavour – use Cocchi Americano, an aperitif that’s close to the original Kina Lillet, or use the Lillet and add in a few dashes of bitters to the whole mixture. As it’s pretty tough to get my hands on the former, I added in 2 dashes of orange bitters and Lillet Blanc. It tastes pretty good, though I wonder how close it is to the original cocktail.
Of course, you still have to shake the whole thing. It’s a quirk of the Vesper that sets it apart from all other martinis.
Dirty Martini
In the latest bond flick, Spectre, Bond and his love interest, Madeleine Swann, enjoy a train ride in the middle of the North African desert. The lady wears an irresistible green dress as she sits down to a romantic dinner our favourite English spy… and orders a Dirty Martini. James naturally follows suit.
Fortunately, the Dirty Martini is not actually ladled with filth and grime. It’s simply a normal martini splashed with olive brine, which gives it a nice salty tang. It’s particularly great at whetting the appetite.
Dirty Martini
45ml Gin
5ml Dry French Vermouth (about 1 teaspoon)
10ml Olive Brine
As many olives as you want
Stir gin, vermouth and brine with ice in a mixing glass till cold. Strain and serve with a garnish of olives.
As always, the particular portions in a Martini are up to you, so don’t let anyone tell you about a “perfect” proportion for your drink. I do like a little more brine in this one. If you really want to do it James bond style, use Vodka in place of gin. I do think that the earthier, spicier flavours go well the brine, so perhaps Snow Leopard or Grey Goose would be my recommendation.
