Is the Vesper Martini Good? | How to Drink
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- Опубліковано 22 лис 2020
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Today I'm revisiting a drink I've looked at on the channel before, the Vesper Martini. Named for Jame's Bond's love interest in his debut novel, Casino Royale, this drink has loomed large amongst Bond fans for years and, but I wanted to know: is it any good? Because this is a drink that Bond threw together on the fly to sort of impress the room, and it's a weird drink. Somewhere between a Dry Martini and a Gin and Tonic but with Vodka for some reason no one can explain, this is a confused drink. It's complicated by the fact that the key ingredient, Kina Lillet, no longer exists. There are two very good substitutes available though, and so today I explore them, and the shaking vs. stirring question, in a four way drink showdown I call: The Drink Matrix.
In Shaker or in Mixing Glass
.25 oz. or 8 ml. Cocchi Americano or Kina L'Aero D'Or
.5 oz. or 15 ml. Vodka
1.5 oz. or 45 ml. London Dry Gin
Shake or stir
Strain in to glass
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Yeah pretty much
Radical shmadicle
good job (^._.^)
Fun fact: like many ww2 Royal Navy officers, Ian Fleming apparently drank Pink Gin more than martini; coat a glass with Angostura, fill with very cold Gin. Drink. Repeat until you see a German pocket battle-ship to sink or neutral port to conduct espionage in.
I like the drink matrix, its cool!
So what I'm hearing is that Bond likes the La Croix of martinis
Sounds right
There’s a good line form West Wing where the president says “Bond is ordering a watered down martini and being snooty about it”
Not to be an apologist, but maybe Bond is picking a drink that tastes empty so he can tell if it's poisoned by the flavor. He might prefer tastier drinks while not on the job.
@@codeEnthusiast Doesn't he immediately get poisoned via drink after ordering this?
@@codeEnthusiast Given that he invented the drink on the spot it doesn't appear likely that there was any deeper thought behind it at all, other than to get the attention of the players at the table. Later you see him mutter to himself after taking a sip something like "That's actually not half bad."
I'm not having one drink, I'm having four. It's called a "matrix", and it's classy!
Ayyyyy
"It's elengatly cultural!"
Head cannon: Bond is deliberately ordering an inferior cocktail, in a brash, showy manner, because he wants to appear to be an overconfident oaf, who’s out of his depth. He wants Le Chiffre to underestimate him.
this was what I thought as well
That is considered the truth these days. Ordering a cocktail wrong and being brash about it is a good cover for someone who should be worldly.
That’s not head canon though... That’s the literal point of his ordering this drink.
They play baccarat... it’s a game basically random chance
I also think he's ordering it shaken because the ice will melt faster and water down the drink some so he wont get quite as drunk while appearing to drink.
(17:25) "Maybe this is a martini for a guy who hates gin." I can't help but recall that James Bond mostly orders *vodka* martinis.
Primarily in the films, as Smirnoff had prominent product placement, at least in You Only Live Twice. A Google search revealed that he had more scotch and sodas than martinis in the novels.
@@ryanpiscitelli This is correct. Also a lot of champagne. But between gin martini and vodka martini, it was mostly vodka.
@@ryanpiscitelli I remember in Skyfall, it was a relatively controversial that Bond ordered a Heineken instead of a Martini, but Martinis aren't really even his signature drink, it's just that the "shaken, not stirred" line ended up being really popular.
@@davidmhh9977 To be fair as a line, "Stirred, not shaken" seems better. Like Bonds saying; Aroused, not intimidated" for a movie context. The femme fatale ordering a drink, proposes Bond go for a few rounds upstairs, then teases him by suggesting she has shocked his British sensibilities, to which Bond leans in and staring her down calls to the barman "Vodka Martini" raises an eyebrow " stirred, not shaken"
FWIW, Bond ordering vodka martinis as an exclusive signature drink is largely an intention of the films. Bond in the novels drinks a wide variety of things.
I would love to see a drink matrix of gin and tonics, trying different gins and/or tonics.
we did a tanqueray v's bombay starting from 2: 1 gin : tonic and successively tasting and diluting that was very interesting. (we prefered tanq when it was stronger and bombay as the tonic becomes dominant.)
@@tomdupree2758 From my experiments, my personal taste is Tanqueray too (I always prefer mine stronger)
The only true answer to this problem is to find a gin you like and a tonic you like slap them together in a ratio you prefer and then bang problem solved.
Nolet and Fever tree tonic. Your welcome.
Tang 10 second choice
@@t.c.bramblett617 probably the only time I'd recommend Tanqueray. The stronger, more piney flavor will definitely offset most tonics. However, I recommend finding a craft tonic syrup or using Bittermens commonwealth tonic Liqueur. Way more complex flavors, and better with a more neutral gin.
Matrix: traditionally gin-based drinks made normally vs herbal vodka
Oh, yes.
I always thought that scene in Casino Royale would’ve been better if the last guy ordered an Appletini.
Fun Bond Lore Factoid: After Vesper died, Bond never had another Vesper Martini again because her betrayal ruined the taste of them for him.
But in the next film -Casino Royal, he had this cocktail...bur with six peels of a lemon
He also didn't give a damn if it was shaken or stirred.
@@ryanpiscitelli That's a great scene, where Bond's all angry because he needs a poo and it made him lose. But then, he drinks his special poo medicine potion, shits his brains out and returns all cool and suave to the table to 'shit' all over Le Chiffre.👌
@@JCulpin casino royale wasn't a sequel. It was the first movie, in a rebooted franchise.
@@JCulpin I was, and probably should have made it clear, referring to the books, not the films. The drink was popularized by the movies, but only really mentioned as being consumed in Casino Royale.
hey greg,
thanks.
What is a pirates favorite fruit?
Greg: Arrange
Lots of vitamin c to starve off the scurvy
@@chestbumphero The Scurrrvy
You made 4 great cocktails in this episode, but your transition from James Bond to Simplisafe in the intro was smoother than any of the drinks shown. 👌
FYI a distiller in London called Sacred makes an amber vermouth that is meant to be the closest match to kina lillet. They partnered with Duke's bar (birthplace of the Vesper!) to create it. It's a delicious vermouth and their dry and sweet are easily my favourites in their respective categories (though the dopo teatro probably ties for best sweet).
Seeing greg pretend to be sneaky for the plug of His advortisor is hilarious
I had a bartender's adaptation of a vesper once that was lovely. It was Hendricks and Grey Goose (the bar only had more expensive liquor options) and he did use Lillet Blanc but he garnished with an orange twist and added a dash of orange bitters into the drink. It was a really enjoyable drink. But by no means a traditional Vesper.
Yeah I had a Vesper at Cole's (the bar where Educated Barfly works) and I thought it was pretty good. I can't remember what they did differently but I do remember liking it
Yeah, there's a few ways to turn it into a good drink. One take on it that I really like (from Educated Barfly) is a few dashes of hopped grapefruit bitters, 2 parts gin to 1 part vodka and one part cocchi, and garnished with a grapefruit twist.
@@Mulceber That sounds absolutely lovely! I don't often drink gin or vodka, I have always been more into tequilas, but every now and then a well-made martini is exactly what I need.
@@Mulceber That does sound good. I adjust the original proportions to 2 parts gin, 1 vodka, half Cocchi (as Lillet blanc just falls flat). I use Monopolowa gin and vodka (I don't carry Gordon's, which is a bit tougher anyway). I like orange bitters, I think they play nice with the Cocchi, and I stir it because I'm not a fucking animal. I do the lemon, but orange would be good too.
I'm a huge Bond nerd, but spies aren't professional bartenders 😉
Gordon's use to be a higher quality gin, but has literally been watered down over the years.
I really appreciate that right out of the gate you're not making grandiose claims, in fact you clearly state that you don't expect much. Your video isn't click bait filled, it is a true assessment of a popularized drink. Plus, it's honest, to the point, but with some history thrown in. Love the video, love that you keep it click bait free and honest. Subscribed and liked.
12:06 i couldn’t stop laughing at Greg’s face when he spills the vodka 😂
That nearly killed me! 🤣
As a chemist and an amateur mixologist, I loved the drink matrix! I would love to see more for a variety of cocktails and think it would help with advising on how to alter recipes on the fly. Also, I loved your mention of some kind of spectrometer! A coworker when I was in college used a gas-chromatography mass spectrometer on vodka samples (after spme headspace analysis) and didn’t really see much of interest, but I’ve always been curious what a more herbaceous liquor or liqueur would look like. Anyway if anyone wants to hire an analytical chemist for alcohol analysis I’m you’re girl!
My lab studies wine (and cider and whiskey on occasion) and I really want to do some GC work with these aromatic compounds now, maybe even a sensory panel🤓
Keep doing videos like this. Seeing how changing only one ingredient can completely change the dynamic of a drink is a very interesting topic!
...Man, I thought you spilled in the normal slow-mos. That time, you just out-and-out tossed the booze on the table, huh?
I hope Greg is getting enough sleep, he seems a bit out of sorts this video.
I always assumed that "dance step" scene in the Thin Man was just Nick Charles making shit up so he could get free drinks. He's demonstrating the different ways to shake for the staff and then just drinking the results.
Nick is fabulously wealthy and very famous, those guys basically have to humor him
If you're ordering a drink in the Prohibition Era the question: "Will I retain my eyesight?" Is going to be more important than: "What's the correct tempo for this?"
I'd like to see the Manhattan thrown into the matrix, compare rye and bourbon, different vermouth including antica and comparing the difference luxardo vs other cherries like badda bings
I agree. Subtle variations in this one too make for drastically different flavors, and some are atrocious (IMO).
(IE almost always use bourbon over rye, don't skimp on quality vermouth if available, cherries are cherries).
I come from the future, and I must say:
What have you done?!
@@MC-sx6ix I know it's all my fault. I did comment on the Manhattan video saying thank you if that means anything.
Be careful what you wish for
Love the Matrix and would like to see other drinks made this way. How about a Manhattan done four ways using different Rye and Vermouth combinations? Keep up the great work!
It'd be great. I find not all whiskey and vermouth combos are a match made in heaven, so why not try and see what goes well with what in a Manhattan or a Boulevardier?
Holy shit came here to say the same thing. Specifically with Punt e Mes vs the acclaimed mix of 50:50 Dolin and Punt e Mes
You got more than you asked for with that one...
@@GizmoFan1 Ha! You're not kidding!
Last Word variants:
Green Chartreuse, Yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine on one axis, Cointreau/Curacao & Luxardo on the other
I know this is sappy but I love your videos and you inspired me to learn through your videos the basics of making drinks. For the first time I finally made a simple one and everyone loved it. Thank you
I’m a huge Bond fan, though not a “Vesper apologist.” That said, I loved this thorough investigation. Great episode, Greg! Also, love the tasting notes as always “Fashionable Quinine” got me. 😂
Big fan of the drink matrix, Greg. I’ve been a fan since the beginning and this just ups my enthusiasm for what you do so well. Thanks, man. You are a good one.
you are a new discovery for me... glad I found your channel. I enjoyed your ramble and knowledge. This was the perfect test of your knowledge for me; I always check their generalized history sense , context and then their making of a dry martini. So you passed the test and I'm the lucky winner. Thank you.
That accent was exceptional
Super nitpick about the Thin Man: You said the book is from the 20s, actually it is also from the 30s. In fact, the book was published in January 1934 and the movie was released in May of 1934. Literally only 4 months later. They used to make movies differently back then I guess.
Anyway, doesn't matter at all, I just like that trivia. Also I guess the Thin Man was first published in a magazine in December 1933, but it's more fun to mention the book being the same year as the movie. Also it's still less than 6 months from published story to released movie.
"Shaken, not stirred" sounds like a spy codeword - something noticeable but utterly mundane
Im glad about the growth of your channel! Cheers m8
I think some drink matrix blind testing would be neat.
Frankly speaking, I think Bond’s insane pink gin recipe is better than the Vesper. At least it’s more interesting in terms of flavor
What’s the “insane” Pink Gin?
@@sebastiantillmann1669 it's gin with lots of bitters
@@sebastiantillmann1669 I prefer his insanely strong recipe for a Gin and Tonic myself.
Dude I am excited for this video. I watched all of your martini videos and searched for the vesper. You must be psychic. Thanx for this video!
I found you looking for butter beer and eggnog, then stayed for assassins creed vahallah. Now I'm a subscriber
Holy crap, you haven’t even started making the drinks at nine minutes in, and I don’t really care. The history you are telling and the undoubted time you put into the research is just awesome! you are my adult beverage aficionado. And that is why I subscribe to your channel. Thank you for the education… Oh, and the awesome drinks too.
Drink matrix was an interesting way to present this drink, and having more done in this style would be nice.
Soooo you're saying that if you are a lemon water kind of person, you'll like the Vesper Martini? lol
I would love to see an episode all about cognac and brandy and the differences! Love you Greg!
I have fallen in love with whomever writes the tasting notes. Simply brilliant!
having researched kina lillet because i wanted to make a vesper according to the book (including calling in at lillet and asking questions) here are some answers: why mix with tasteles vodka? Because kina lillet has a very strong bitter flavor (because of the chinine) wich disperses faster with higer volume than the sweet notes the lillet carries. Why doesnt lillet produce the kina anymore? Because kina-and-fruit-wines went out of style in the late 40s. (fruitwines in general went out of style only making a comeback now). They keept producing it into the 60s and ended up being the last traditional producer but there was no longer a market. Why do they claime the lillet blanc is the same? because lillet blanc is supposedly the same fruitmix wine without the chinine. This means that a mix of lillet blanc and tonic water is supposed to be an aproximate in taste (even if it has a lower alcokohol content)
Thanks
one thing i need to correct. the 1986 version of the lillet blanc was an aprocimant to kina lillet. it was changed again in 1990 to no longer be sweet and bitter but fruity.
Thanks for this- I had sent an email to Lillet about the Kina line but never got an answer! I bought some quinine tincture off of Ebay and now add a couple drops into my Vesper along with the measure of Lillet Blanc. Never thought of adding tonic water. So perhaps this is the most authentic we can possibly get to the discontinued Kina? I have a bottle of Cocchi at home, but it just tastes sweet to me with no hint of quinine.
I've missed seeing the big spills recently, glad we got one today
The bug-eyed stare of "oh no, the comments..." killed me
lol sorry for drunk tweeting at you and Cocktail Chemistry about stirring it that one night -- I appreciate that you've revisited this!
Another great evaluation and episode! Thanks
This gets a vodka, this gets a vodka, hell, even the bar-top gets a vodka.
I've always been fond of the element of texture in the Vesper between the oils from the twist and the coldness from the shaking. That said, I always assumed that Bond was an alcoholic and used it mainly as an alcohol delivery system with a veneer of sophistication. Its fun to drink at James Bond related events but I totally get not seeing it as a particularly interesting drink.
This was a really cool episode! I love the use of the scientific method, from acknowledging tester's bias early on and using the matrix to compose and compare different drinks! The brief aside about the common knowledge, skill, and vocabulary that got lost during Prohibition was also an interesting historical note.
Oh, and I guess, uh, the alcohol was there too? Vodka martinis... uh-huh, yup. Anyway, great vid!
First video of yours I have watched. Really cool. Like your set. Like your presence.
This Matrix is probably one of the best ideas you've had. I always like to know slight variations without getting plastered with drinking 4 drinks. I think you should do a lot more of these types of Matrix tasting videos.
@howtodrink
Ah. I found the moment. The beginning of the end. Lol
*See: "This episode tried to kill me"
A story reason why James Bond never drinks the Vesper outside Casino Royale, or only does it very rarely, is that it reminds him too much of Vesper Lind and her betrayal and subsequent death. She's one of the very few women Bond ever truly loved wholeheartedly and affected him so much.
Like the channel, watched lots of your videos. This one though started good, and really trailed off for me... Don't want to "dislike" but leaving this message instead. Keep up the good work as I do really enjoy your channel.
this was a great idea im glad you took a look at this
the drink matrix; you know kung fu, but also you're absolutely tanked
Whoa.
I feel like this could benefit from some blind tastings with a small discussion, if not for just the educational value of subjectivity.
I was just gonna suggest blind tastings too! Plus some salty snack + water for palate cleansers.
@16:13
I salute your nod to cocktail chemistry 😂👏👏👏
Very good !
So glad you brought up that Canadian study! It was featured (maybe just mentioned) on NPR years ago.
i had to have re-played the intro section where he squirts the citrus peel into the drink at least 25 times. that was such a satisfying shot
0:25
Greg I've noticed that there's a severe lack of Deadeye daiquiri on this channel and I think you should change that
Congratulations on this sponsorship!!! It's about time that big companies notice the advertising value to your show...
Thank you for doing this video. I was hoping you’d do this one for a while.
The brilliance of this channel is that Greg has figured out how to turn day drinking into a career. Also, shaking waters down the gin and or vodka. Maybe you want that; maybe you don't, but that's always been the rationalization for shaking a martini. Cool trick is that you can use the cloudiness of a shaken martini to tell it from stirred one. Neat bar trick.
I'd like it stirred not shaken. It enhances the flavor a little bit more, in my opinion.
Instead of hitting you with all the flavors you can taste m kinda sperated from each other but still combined. Sounds a bit wavy but I'm trying to say that I agreed with your opinion.
Less dilution when stirring so maybe that's why
im in love with this man and the drinks 😻
the drink matrix was really interresting in my opinion ^^ would be glad to see more of it
Id love to see an old fashioned matrix with different bitters and infused simples.
We all know Greg only made this episode so he could justify why he needs to drink 4 martinis in a single sitting.
Id love to see something like a whisky comparison in the drink matrix. Get a popular drink and make it with 4 different whiskys and see if that changes the profile of the cocktail. Keep up the phenomenal content! You got my wife and I through Quarantine with a "drink of the week"
OH MY GOD! YOU QUOTED THE THIN MAN! Nick Charles (William Powell) the patron saint of cocktails! I am so glad that you got a bottle Kina L'Aero Dior. Personally if you want a great Vesper you gotta come to either my house or the Valkyrie bar in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. I run 2 dashes orange bitters, 1/2oz KIna L'Aero, 1oz Vodka, 3oz Gin, shaken. ( I prefer Plymouth Gin and Ryeka Vodka). Regardless of what Bond orders. A Martini has orange bitters and a Vesper should have orange bitters.
Isn't Gordon's different nowadays too though? The market standard is a lower proof I thought.
@John Smith that's in the UK, it's probably still 40% in the US.
Minimum proof for a spirit in the UK is 75, whereas in the US it's 80.
this sounds familiar to me as well. I had wondered if the Gordon' s of the era was more of a navy proof.
@@bgclo I remember my grandad hated gin, but always had a bottle for guests. He had a 1952 bottle of Gordon's that was 105 proof. Shame he passed before my mum would let me have a sample. I was 9 when he went. Still miss the old man 40 years later...
@@spudgunn8695 heh. He hated gin? I was all "hated who?" there for a sec...
@@bgclo sorry about that, edited it to read right, bloody auto correct!!
The old guy was a Newcastle Brown and Jameson's man. Maybe the odd bottle of Glenfiddich when he could persuade Gran he could afford one! Goes to show how many visitors he had that drank Gin though, he bought the bottle in 1952 or 1953, and still hand just under a third of a bottle left when he died in 1979!
4 variations of Vesper Martini? Ye gods, that's dedication to craft.
I loved this episode, a bit of synchronicity is that I'm right now working on a tool for breaking down cocktails on a molecular level!
More stuff like this please!
Please do more of this! Though I think you should try to make it a blind test to remove biases. This would have been a better comparison if you had had someone bottle the aperitifs in generic bottles beforehand.
Re: the Stoli 100, I wonder if it's just been rerouted to producing hand sanitizer. For months here in NC you couldn't find it or Everclear because it was going to sanitization instead.
Hand sanitizer needs to be at least 70% alcohol (140 proof I think) to be effective. Is Stoli distilled to higher than 100 and then watered down before going to market?
@@kattkatt744 All spirits are watered down from essentially 100% alcohol?
I'd like to see some rye versus bourbon in classic whiskey cocktails.
This "Drink Matix" premise interests me a lot, I think that kind of stuff is super fascinating, because it can reveal the "why" in "why do I like this one so much" much better then just judging something in isolation
I always enjoy a good comparison, whether it's a chaser episode or a drink matrix!
Maybe print out a grid with the differences in the squares to make it easier to keep track in the future, I was constantly anxious you were going to mix them up accidentally
Love the matrix. Would be super interested to see simple cocktails done with different brands of ingredients. Like with a manhattan done with Rittenhouse or another bonded rye vs others.
Great video, could you make college drinks into actual cocktails
I like the drink matrix approach. It gives you room to test possible permutations of a cocktail. I do think you should add in a palate cleanser in between to alleviate that palate being wrecked by the time you get to the later permutations. Even a glass of water would help some.
Thanks Greg - fun show and excellent banter as always! beware of the six way matrix though. Have you tried the Vesper Americano as shown on the Educated Barfly? Leandro made a version when you joined forces: 45ml gin, 22.5vodka, 22.5cocchi, couple of dashes of grapefruit bitters, grapefruit peel. Really brings the complex citrusy bitterness forward - also loses the gordon's for beefeater or plymouth. Yum
Bruh are you spying on me? I literally rewatched casino royale yesterday. This is beyond spooky
Bond's a two minute man. I always suspected.
Hey Greg I have an improved Vesper. We’re not keeping anything in the original except the lemon but I feel that it tastes like what I imagine a vesper should. 2oz Cocchi Americano and 2oz Boomsma Jonge Genever. Stir with ice, garnish with lemon peel after squeezing the oils into glass and running it along the rim.
Love the Monday afternoon release. And shaken for the coldness makes me think that would be my preference.
Drink matrix: Bourbon vs Rye Manhattan!
My headcanon: James Bond invented a cocktail on the spot and it wasn't undrinkable.
I've always been curious if there would be a noticeable difference between a shaken vs stirred martini. Fantastic episode sir!
I love all your videos and this was a legit master class. I'd love to see you do a series where you invent drinks that best represent the style or your interpretation of movies, video games and maybe books.
The TLDR: Fleming liked his martinis shaken instead of stirred because he liked his martinis colder. Which is fine. Also, anything that mutes gin is good because if I wanted that flavour, I'd light a Christmas tree on fire and deep-throat it.
I used to hate gin. Don't know what changed. But suddenly I got the urge to try a martini and I liked it. And now gin is a favorite.
As for the reasons to shake a martini, there are several.
1) With vodka martinis, there are no essential oils to "bruise" so you can shake it to make it colder and water it down more.
2) Vodka quality was crap at the time, and many really bad vodkas still had oils in them which are a good thing in whiskey, and horrible in vodka. Shaking mixed these oils up and made the texture of the vodka less... greasy. Sort of like whipped buttercream frosting is good, but eating a stick of butter would be weird.
3) shaking waters down the drink. Personally I don't believe that people are supposed to imbibe 50% alcohol. It was designed to be shaken with ice and brought down into the tolerable 35-40% range. Or even lower. Some will disagree, that's ok.
4) it was a cool thing to say. "shaken, not stirred" is so classic that everyone knows 007 when you say it.
5) It played into his gambling, by ordering unusual drinks he threw off his opponents. "Shaken? what does he know that I don't know?"
Gin is wonderful. How dare you. I challenge you to a duel
@@JC-fj7oo but do you take it with an olive?
Depends on the martini. Sometimes an onion, sometimes lemon. Olives are a classic.
Wow...that's an image
Do the Mega-Slush from Megas XLR. You can dye your hair blonde and cosplay as Coop for the episode.
I haven't heard of that show in a HOT minute. Brings back good memories of Friday night cartoons at my grandparents.
*LIVING HERE, IN JERSEY, FIGHTING VILLAINS FROM AFAR*
*YOU GOTTA FIND FIRST GEAR, IN YOUR GIANT ROBOT CAR!*
@@RaptorJesus
You dig giant robots!
I dig giant robots!
We dig giant robots!
Chicks dig giant robots!
NICE
I'm probably not the only one to suggest this, but a matrix of Manhattans with different whiskeys, different vermouths, and different bitters would be pretty interesting just to see which combinations you like best. I did that experiment with a friend and the results were dramatically varied. We made a lot of pleasant discoveries.
so, i have grown to love this combo for a 'different' kind of martini. Not a really big fan of lillet so i have begun to experiment a bit. Try the recipe with half the amount of Elderflower - very cold, shaken or stirred it is extremely delicious and refreshing! Also, sneaky!
Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne approve the drink matrix. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the drink matrix really is.
Got my bartender friend to make this drink for me when i was 19 and steaming... didnt think much of it. Stole the glass though, whoops lol
As someone who really likes Vesper Martinis (for the drink, I don't really care about 007), I'm glad to see you take another stab at this drink.
I've had it shaken and stirred. With Americano and Lillet Blanc. I make it with Lillet at home, but usually let bartenders decide to get variety whenever I order it (I miss bars, can it not be 2020 yet?).
I must also mention, you completely nailed it. I hate gin. Vesper Martinis and Corpse Revivers are fantastic, though.
I like the matrix because you give a lot of good notes about what is different vs what is the same when you change just one or two things. It would be helpful if I couldn’t get one or two ingredients.
Actually his favorite drink in the books was Kentucky bourbon.
Old Grand dad is mentioned more than once.
Greg: "Is the Vesper Martini good?"
Me: No, it's absolutely not.
I've taken to making the riff on the vesper that leandro from the educated barfly did on this channel a year or two ago.
Agreed. It's at best "OK"
Nice! My favorite cocktail is the Cab Calloway. 1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice, 1 ounce Vodka, 1/2oz St-Germain, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 dashes Orange bitters over ice. Can use white rum, or gin if you want. (Edited)
This video was incredible. Thank you for the bar knowledge :)