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Vesper Martini Recipe

By Cocktail Chart editors · Updated 2026-07-18 · ~2 min read

The Vesper is a Martini made with both gin and vodka, lengthened with Lillet Blanc and finished with a lemon twist. It comes from Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, published in 1953, where Bond specifies it shaken rather than stirred. It is drier and more bracing than a standard Martini, and worth knowing if you already have gin, vodka, and an aperitif wine on the shelf.

Vesper Martini

Prep5 min
Total time5 min
Servings1 cocktail
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 2 oz (60 ml) London dry gin
  • 0.5 oz (15 ml) vodka
  • 0.5 oz (15 ml) Lillet Blanc
  • Ice cubes, for shaking
  • 1 wide strip of lemon peel, to garnish

Instructions

  1. Chill a coupe or Martini glass in the freezer for 10 minutes, or fill it with ice and water.
  2. Add the gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc to a shaker with plenty of fresh ice.
  3. Shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, following the original specification.
  4. Empty the ice water from the serving glass if you chilled it that way.
  5. Double strain into the chilled glass through a fine sieve to catch ice shards.
  6. Cut a wide strip of lemon peel and express the oils over the surface, skin side down.
  7. Run the peel around the rim and lay it across the glass.

Contains 2.5 oz of spirit plus an aperitif wine, so this is a strong drink even at these reduced proportions. Shaken is authentic to the source; stir it if you prefer a silkier texture.

Tips

  • The Kina Lillet in the original was discontinued in the 1980s and reformulated as the less bitter Lillet Blanc, so a modern Vesper is softer than Fleming's. Cocchi Americano gets you closer to the original quinine bite if you want it.
  • Fleming's spec is 3 parts gin, 1 vodka, half a part Lillet, which lands at over 4 oz of spirit in one glass. The proportions here keep the character while lowering the strength; they are slightly more Lillet-forward than the original.
  • Double straining matters more with a shaken Martini than almost anywhere else. Loose ice shards melt in the glass and thin the drink as you sit with it.
  • Use a robust, juniper-forward gin. Delicate contemporary gins get buried by the vodka and the drink loses its point.

FAQ

What usually goes wrong?

Shaking with old, wet ice. It shatters and over-dilutes, and a Vesper that has been watered down tastes hollow rather than merely mild.

How do I store it?

Serve at once. Like any drink served up, it warms fast and is past its best after 8 to 10 minutes.

Why do my times differ?

Ovens differ. Use the times as a guide and judge by how it looks and feels.

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