I finally got around to seeing the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. It was all right. I especially liked the scenes between Bond and M. Then again, those two actors could read a pamphlet of MI6 regulations to each other and make it interesting.

I left the theatre with fond memories of James Bond running, jumping, dangling, fighting, and looking angst ridden. I also really appreciated Daniel Craig’s arms. I bet he has a really good trainer. Yep, I’m an arm girl.

I also left the theatre wanting to drink the cocktail that Bond drinks six or seven of in his angst ridden misery on a trans Atlantic flight. It was the same cocktail he drank in Casino Royale and he had named it the Vesper (after his lady love who later betrayed him and died).

Thanks to some googling and Wikipedia-ing, I discovered that the filmmakers were faithful to the original Ian Fleming recipe:

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.

Yep, it’s a bucket of booze. Bond must be some man if he can pound back six or seven of those. Then again, he has been escaping certain death for decades.

To make my Vesper, I came up with the following recipe:

1 ½ oz Gordons
½ oz Vodka (I used Absolute because it’s what I had)
¼ oz Lillet Blanc

Stir with great vigor (I don’t shake martinis). Add a twist of lemon and serve.

The drink has a sexy fruity taste to it, but it’s not sickly sweet. There’s a lot of nuance and subtlety to it. It’s sophisticated but drinkable. All in all, I liked it. I could drink it again and again.