Vesper Lynd

in

A dry martini," [Bond] 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 can think of a good name."

—Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Chapter 7, "Rouge et Noir'

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IBA specified
ingredients

  • 6 cl gin

  • 1.5 cl vodka

  • 0.75 cl Lillet Blanc

Preparation: Shake over ice until well chilled, then strain into a deep goblet and garnish with a thin slice of lemon peel.

Timing: Before dinner

 “Above all, he liked that everything was one’s own fault. There was only oneself to praise or blame. Luck was a servant and not a master. Luck had to be accepted with a shrug or taken advantage of up to the hilt. But it had to be understood and recognized for what it was and not confused with a faulty appreciation of the odds, for, at gambling, the deadly sin is to mistake bad play for bad luck. And luck in all its moods had to be loved and not feared. Bond saw luck as a woman, to be softly wooed or brutally ravaged, never pandered to or pursued. But he was honest enough to admit that he had never yet been made to suffer by cards or by women. One day, and he accepted the fact, he would be brought to his knees by love or by luck. When that happened he knew that he too would be branded with the deadly question-mark he recognized so often in others, the promise to pay before you have lost: the acceptance of fallibility.” 

 —Ian Fleming, Casino Royale. 

Other gin based cocktails

If you have gin you can make below recipes with either: dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, Campari, lime juice or lime cordial. Lime , lemon or orange twist to serve.

Martini

The martini has evolved over the years. In 1922 a common ratio was 2 parts of gin and 1 part vermouth. Stir in a mixing glass with ice cubes and pour in a chilled cocktail glass. A dry martini is made with dry vermouth. As time went on the ratio gin to vermouth changed to 4:1 in the 1940s and to 6:1 or even more in the 20th century. Served: ‘up’.

IBA specified ingredients:

  • 6 cl (6 parts) gin.

  • 1 cl (1 parts) dry vermouth.

Preparation: Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled martini cocktail glass. Squeeze oil from lemon peel onto the drink.

Timing: Before dinner.
Glass: cocktail glass or (preferable) champagne coupe glass.

Gimlet

A Gimlet is not a cocktail with a fixed recipe. It contains gin and some sort of sweetened lime juice (homemade from water, sugar, lime juice and lime zest or Rose's Lime Juice). Over the years taste has changed from quite sweet to more of a gin based drink. Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice. Served: ‘up’.

A modern recipe:

  • 6 cl gin

  • 1 cl Rose's Lime Juice

  • 1 cl fresh lime juice

From 1953:
Half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else.

From 1928:
Gin, a spot of lime, and soda.

Glass: champagne coupe glass or Nick and Nora glass.

Negroni

IBA specified ingredients:

  • 3 cl gin

  • 3 cl sweet red vermouth

  • 3 cl campari

Preparation:
Stir into glass over ice, garnish and serve.

Timing: Aperitif.
Glass: Old Fashioned glass.

Gin and tonic

One part gin, 3 parts tonic water. On the rocks. Use as much ice as the glass will hold. Serve with a lemon twist. Depending on the gin many different garnishes are possible. James Bond ordered a double measure of gin and added the juice of a whole lime and “dropped the two squeezed halves into the long glass”.

Glass: Copa de Balon. Out of fashion: a highball glass.