Aviation
45 ml Gin, 15 ml Maraschino liqueur, 15 ml Lemon juice, 7.5 ml Crème de violette, 1 Maraschino cherry
Photo: Vesper in Bordeaux by Matthias v.d. Elbe · CC BY 4.0 · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 12 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 720 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 720 ml line. Gin
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. Vodka
- 90 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) and one small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a tablespoon. Lillet Blanc
- 12 twists Lemon twist (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Shake everything hard with ice until very cold and strain into a chilled glass.
Method
Batch (12 drinks)Batch (12 drinks) - about 996 ml of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- Chill a martini glass or a coupe in the freezer.
- Put the gin, vodka and Lillet in a shaker with plenty of ice.
- Shake hard for 15 seconds - this is one of the few drinks where the shaking is part of the recipe.
- Double strain into the chilled glass and finish with a twist of lemon.
Serve it
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
Vesper
James Bond ordered this in Casino Royale in 1953, and gave the world a generation of people who think they know how he liked his martini. The original recipe calls for Kina Lillet, which is no longer made - the modern Lillet Blanc is the closest thing there is, and it is sweeter than what Bond drank, so a splash of it goes a long way. He also asked for it shaken rather than stirred, which anyone who makes martinis will tell you is the wrong way to do it, and which is exactly why a Vesper should be shaken: the drink is named after a woman, and it is supposed to be a bit reckless.
Getting it right
The drink lives and dies on temperature, so chill everything - glass, gin, shaker - and shake it until the metal aches in your hand. Only a splash of Lillet: an older book would say a teaspoon, and a modern bottle is sweet enough that more will turn a bracing drink into a soft one. Serve it small and very cold, and drink it before it warms.
Tasting notes
Laser sharp and bone dry, with a floral, citrusy edge from the Lillet and an alcoholic warmth at the end that is much stronger than the flavour suggests. Delicious, and not to be hurried.
More Gin cocktails
Bee's Knees
50 ml Gin, 20 ml Lemon juice, 20 ml Honey syrup, 1 Lemon twist
Bramble
50 ml Gin, 25 ml Lemon juice, 12.5 ml Simple syrup, 15 ml Crème de mûre, 2 berries Blackberry