Vesper (cocktail)

The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet.

Origin

The drink was invented and named by Ian Fleming in the 1953 James Bond novel Casino Royale.

Fleming continues with Bond telling the barman, after taking a long sip, "Excellent ... but if you can get a vodka made with grain instead of potatoes, you will find it still better," and then adds in an aside, "Mais n'enculons pas des mouches" (English: But let's not bugger flies—a vulgar French expression meaning "let's not split hairs").

Bond in the next chapter, "Pink Lights and Champagne", names it the Vesper. At the time of his first introduction to the beautiful Vesper Lynd, he obtains her name in a perfect interrogation indirecte, "I was born in the evening,..on a very stormy evening..," and asks to borrow it.

A Vesper differs from Bond's usual cocktail of choice, the martini, in that it uses both gin and vodka, Kina Lillet instead of the usual dry vermouth, and a lemon peel instead of an olive. Although there is a lot of discussion on the Vesper, it is only ordered by Bond once throughout Fleming's novels – although Bond drinks the Vesper in the film Casino Royale – and by later books Bond is ordering regular vodka martinis, though he also drinks regular gin martinis. Felix Leiter ordered a Vesper for Bond in the novel Diamonds Are Forever albeit with Cresta Blanca in place of Kina Lillet, which Bond politely remarks is the "Best Vermouth I ever tasted." It may be that Fleming decided not to have Bond order a Vesper again due to the way in which Casino Royale ends.

Cocktail

When used to refer to any generic alcoholic mixed drink, cocktail may mean any beverage that contains three or more ingredients if at least two of them contain alcohol.

Usage and related terms

When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer, such as soda or fruit juice, it is a highball; many of the International Bartenders Association Official Cocktails are highballs. When a cocktail contains only a distilled spirit and a liqueur, it is a duo and when it adds a mixer, it is a trio. Additional ingredients may be sugar, honey, milk, cream, and various herbs.

Etymology

The origin of the word cocktail is disputed.

The first recorded use of cocktail not referring to a horse is found in The Morning Post and Gazetteer in London, England, March 20, 1798:

Mr. Pitt,
two petit vers of “L’huile de Venus”
Ditto, one of “perfeit amour”
Ditto, “cock-tail” (vulgarly called ginger)

The Oxford English Dictionary cites the word as originating in the U.S. The first recorded use of cocktail as a beverage (possibly non-alcoholic) in the United States appears in The Farmer's Cabinet, April 28, 1803:

Cocktail (disambiguation)

A cocktail is a mixed drink containing alcohol.

Cocktail may also refer to:

Entertainment

Cocktail (2010 film)

Cocktail is a 2010 Malayalam thriller film edited and directed by Arun Kumar Aravind. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, Samvrutha Sunil, Fahadh Faasil, Innocent, and Mamukkoya. It is co-written by Anoop Menon and is a credited remake of the Canadian film Butterfly on a Wheel. It was the directorial debut of film editor Arun Kumar.

Plot