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Vesper Martinis. I am a Martini nut, and the vesper, whilst an acquired taste is incredible stuff. If you're not able to make this and are in London, go to the
by iuguy 16y ago
Vesper Martinis. I am a Martini nut, and the vesper, whilst an acquired taste is incredible stuff. If you're not able to make this and are in London, go to the Dukes Hotel Bar in Mayfair and ask for one there. They will only serve you two of them, on account of the strength.
You will need:
1 bottle of Berry Brothers No. 3 Dry London Gin (Tanqueray 10 will do as an alternative, do not use Gordons)
1 bottle of Potocki vodka (a neutral vodka is great, Belvedere or Ketel one will do, Finlandia is ok-ish, Smirnoff is not)
1 Bottle of orange Angostura Bitters
1 Bottle of Lillet Blanc - Do not use Martini Bianco, Noilly Prat can be used but will change the taste substantially. Cocchi Americano can be used instead (in which case don't use Angostura Bitters).
An Amalfi Lemon
To make the vesper, pour two splashes of Angostura Bitters into a classic cocktail glass or Champagne goblet if you have one. Take a shaker, fill with ice and add 85ml of the Gin, 15 ml of Vodka and 25ml of Lillet. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds or stir for 30 (stirring will result in a weaker drink from the melting of the ice, shaking oxygenates the gin and gives it a sharper taste) and strain the resulting drink out into the glass. Take the zest of the lemon, twist it, pass it gently over the rim of the glass and let it settle in the centre. Serve.
At the moment I'm drinking mostly water as I'm trying to shift a bit of weight, although I do love Dr Pepper Zero, or a great Latte. In Reading the best Latte I've had can be found at the Workhouse Cafe near the Oracle.
- nailer 16y agoA 'martini nut' would drink actual martinis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_(cocktail) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_(cocktail), rather than suggesting five different types of vodka. Nothing wrong with vodka drinks, I'm a big fan of Belvedere Black, but you will get some funny looks from bartenders if you're being that precise with your specifications yet using the wrong liquor for your drink. Particular the Vesper, whose recipe is very well known.
- crux 16y agoThe Vesper is rather vile, but its very well known recipe does indeed include vodka.
- iuguy 16y agoHeathen! To be fair, the first sip of a great Vesper tastes a little like Jet Fuel, and I'd never drink one at anything approaching room temperature, but a badly mixed Vesper is pretty much undrinkable.
- nailer 16y agotrue, but its main alcohol is gin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesper_(cocktail) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesper_(cocktail)
- iuguy 16y agoThe reason there's so many substitutes is that the original contents are no longer available in their original recipes. The original vesper called for Gordons and didn't specify which vodka, so you have to improvise. As for drinking 'actual Martinis' there's no such thing as an actual Martini. There's plenty of stories as to the origin, ranging from the Mexican gold digger in Martinez to the bar in New York that put gin in with Martini Rosso in the late 19th century. I tend to follow the Knickerbocker Hotel 1911 recipe for classic Martinis, which I make often but a well mixed Vesper is an incredible drink, and something most of the people here are unlikely to have tried. It's the closest I can imagine to an actual pan-galactic gargleblaster.