takashealey:

keepcalmandstruton:

The Vesper  - as written by Ian Fleming for James Bond:

“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?”  - Casino Royale, Chapter 7

• 3 oz of Gordon’s Gin
• 1 oz of vodka
• .5 oz measure Kina Lillet
• lemon peel for garnish

The only problem is that Gordon’s Gin changed decades ago to a lower proof version, it went from 94 proof to todays 80 proof. Worse Kina Lillet hasn’t been made since the mid-80’s and Lillet blonc is a very different mix of taste - they pretty much removed the quinine which gave Kina Lillet its bitterness (Kina in the name is a reference quinine) without that taste in Lillet in the Vesper Bond’s description of the drink as having a bitter after taste. 

I noted this issue as well. Fortunately there are some tweaks to make the drink more accurate to its conception -

• To recreate the original bitter flavour of Kina Lillet, add a dash or two of orange bitters, Angostura bitters, add a pinch (1/16 of a teaspoon) of quinine powder or use a mix of Lillet and the bitter China Martini, which also turns the drink light golden, as described in the book.^[3]
• Cocchi Americano has a similar flavor profile to the classic Kina Lillet and may be considered an acceptable substitute.^[4]
• For a more traditional flavour, use 100-proof Stolichnaya vodka to bring the alcohol content of the vodka back to 1953 levels.
• Tanqueray gin provides the traditional flavour of 94-proof gin; whereas Gordon’s Gin has been reformulated to less than 80-proof.