I can't say I'm more or less likely to try more of them now, but having developed a serious taste for vintage cocktails lately, I was delighted when Kelly returned from a trip to Binny's with some St. Germain, Pimm's No. 1, and a bottle of Plymouth Gin. Having never tried Plymouth, I decided the best way would be to throw myself into the deep end -- mixing it into a martini. But not just any martini; I also wanted to try my hand at making perhaps one of the most famous martinis, the Vesper.
The Vesper
- To ice in shaker, add
- 3 oz. gin (I used Plymouth Gin),
- 1 oz. vodka (I used Smirnoff 80),
- ½ oz. Lillet Blanc,
- Shake until cold and strain into chilled cocktail glass,
- Express with lemon peel, and garnish.
This is a classic James Bond martini, first ordered by the main character in the Ian Fleming classic Casino Royale but with different, now unattainable ingredients. You can't get, for instance, real Kina Lillet anymore. (Kina, derived from the French word for "quinine", I suppose used to be quite substantially bitter than our Lillet Blanc, which is still a concoction of French wines and citrus liqueurs which has made its way into a surprising number of my recipes lately, but which lacks the quinine which might have given Mr. Bond's drink a bit more complexity than mine.) Gordon's, the brand of gin specified by Mr. Bond, is actually a top shelf distillate in Great Britain but is a much maligned facsimile here, more on par with "rail" gin. So in order to make a Vesper, one has to be forgiving of oneself, while attempting to pay homage to the spirit of the cocktail.
And what a cocktail it is. As my introduction into Plymouth Gin, I am impressed. It is certainly the cleanest and simplest gin I think I've had, unencumbered as seems to be with a large number of citrus botanicals that seem to be in vogue at present. It's hard to tell where the gin stops and the vodka begins, it's so smooth. That's not to say it has no flavor, though; juniper is present, as is a very gentle citrusy character. When combined with the Lillet and the lemon, the hints of citrus and dryness are peeled back and there's a really subtle but identifiable peppery finish right at the tip of the tongue.
I don't know if the Vesper converted me to martinis, but I know that Plymouth is going to remain in my stable for a long time.
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