Get into a Vesper

Most people in this world think it proper to take Gin when you are having a Martini. I am one of them.

There are a few misguided souls who seems to think that chilled vodka, placed within a reasonable vicinity of an unopened vermouth bottle also constitutes a Martini. They are, undoubtedly, wrong.

However, there is one drink that bridges the sides in this sometimes ugly argument. It was created by a hero of men, a seducer of women, a killer true and orphaned servant of her Royal Majesty. I’m talking of course, of James Bond.

There’s always something special about a drink inspired by a lady, and the Vesper is certainly one of them. Plenty has been written about the history of the drink, the fact it is mentioned in the first Bond novel to be published, the fact the original recipe called for Kina Lillet, a now extinct product featuring the bitter quinona bark, famously used to flavour tonic water throughout the Empire.

One thing that you don’t read everywhere is why Bond actually ordered it. Fleming was foreshadowing the doubt in Bond’s mind over the loyalty of Vesper Lynd. While those of you who have only seen the movie won’t know it, Bond was actually out there fighting СМЕРШ. A Soviet controlled spy ring, tasked with the spread of communism and the elimination of western spies. By calling a mostly English Gin drink tainted with a lick of Russian vodka a Vesper, it is the subtle plant of doubt that will unfold in the next few chapters of the book. Vesper is a double agent.

The Vesper.

60mls Gordons Gin, 20mls Stolichnaya V0dka, 10 mls Lillet Blanc. Combine all ingredients over ice and shake until it is very cold. Strain up and inhale… Looks and tastes mighty tasty. Garnished always with a thick peel of lemon.

The 20th Century Cocktail

I do love a drink that comes with a story. After being rebuffed in her request for a Last Word last week, my girlfriend was instead offered up the 20th Century Cocktail as an alternative.

This drink first appeared in print 1937, in the Cafe Royal Bar Book. Many of my online colleagues link the drink to the Art Deco beauty of Henry Dreyfus and his NYC Hudson train casings, While the drink was named for the train that ran between NYC and Chicago, Dreyfus’s design didn’t roll the rails until 1938, so maybe it was the drink that inspired the design.

The 20th Century Limited was the height of luxury, the train was refined in every way, with plush crimson carpets cushioning the travelers feet as they alighted at either end of the journey, men were given carnations, women flowers and perfume, the overall experience coining the phrase “the red carpet treatment” and starting a tradition that lives on today.

The drink is the equal of its story, lemon, herb and the strength of Gin, hiding a luxurious chocolate finish. Stunning.

The 20th Century Cocktail.

45mls Gin, 20mls Lillet Blanc, 15mls Creme de Cacao, 20mls freshly squeezed Lemon juice.

Shake and strain up, garnish with a twist of lemon.

The Luck of the Irish

The 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup is all about making extraordinary cocktails in  extraordinary environments. Many of the challenges are judged on the originality and creativity of the drinks, but when it comes to measuring the skills of a true bartender, one drink sets the benchmark- the classic Martini. “Modern Martini’ was the fourth challenge in the 2010 42BELOW Cocktail World Cup, the eight teams all preparing their version of the timeless drink.

The panel of four international judges recommended contestants keep things simple for this round, and that was exactly what the winners did. The competition’s loveable, if slightly loud, rogues- Team Ireland, taking it by the slightest of margins. Their appropriately titled ‘Kia Kaha’ (meaning ‘stand strong’ in Maori) was made of 42BELOW Pure, Lillet Blanc and sprayed with a Feijoa mist. In typical Irish style, the team came up with their winning entry on the bus on the way to the event! “I’m truly blown away to have won tonight, we’ve been gutted every time we have lost a challenge, we really wanted to do this for each other” says Team Ireland big man Andy Wall. US Bartender of the Year and our esteemed judge Jim Meehan said the Irish entry stood out for its simplicity and elegance, “it’s a drink I would be proud to serve in my bar,” said Meehan.

The Modern Martini challenge was the first event to be held in Wellington in the lead up to the grand final on Saturday March 27th, where the teams will prepare their signature drink for a live audience.

The convoy of bartenders, international judges and media had the ultimate ending to the Queenstown leg of the cup, being taken by helicopter from the Skyliner Gondola to the airport for their own rock ‘n’ roll charter flight. It was an inflight experience like never before, passengers provided with rock star wigs and glasses while sipping on a 42BELOW ‘Aviation’ cocktail and listening to AC/DC on takeoff. The plane was met by a scrum of local ‘papparazzi’ as they transferred to their stretch limos for a brief tour of the capital. “It’s the closest we’ll ever get to being real rock stars. I’ve never been treated so well before,  it was stupidly good,” says Australian team member and the country’s bartender of the year Chris Hysted.

Kia Kaha

50ml 42BELOW Pure
20ml Lillet Blanc
42Below Feijoa Vodka mist

On Tour: Agents and Merchants

A second little find for me this last weekend in New Zealand was A&M, partner venue to the esteemed Racket, hiding down a little alleyway just off Customs St East in Auckland’s Britomart development.

The laneways here are what is called contrived, like much of Birtomart’s development. BUT, and that is meant to be a big but, the team at A&M have done their level best to make their bar feel as though it is in Melbourne, and not the bottom of a Westpac office building. I believe they have succeeded.

Mid afternoon cocktails, a Corpse Reviver #2 & a Negroni were well made, quickly delivered and tasty as hell. The perfect questions on preference of gin for the negroni and 24 for the CR2 were unexpected but welcome discoveries.  The staff are attentive and friendly, and after tasting the pear, ginger and chili syrup from the team next door, Racket will be getting a visit on my next trip back home.

Perfect for an afternoon with friends and the massive outdoor fireplace means it would be a good hit for winterly conditions as well. Wine also looked great.

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Summer Loving

While the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the warming light of the sun, hot punch recipes are being dusted off. Some provide warmth, others exist solely to bring a tint of colour to the milky white skin of Englishmen.

Rejoice then, that you live in Sydney, where access to sun, surf, parks and beaches are plentiful and open to all.

As you head to any of these places, to meet in large groups or small, the default choice for refreshment is a six pack of coldies or a bottle of wine. I’d ask you to consider for a moment stepping outside of that norm and heading, replete, with a fine jar of tippling punch on your next park sojourn.

Punch was invented back when alcohol was so rough, punters only wanted to mask the flavour enough to get it down and start the glorious journey to intoxication, these days, punches in the summer or the winter showcase flavours of booze,  fruit and herbacious additives. Experimentation is the key here, perfect punch is a very fluid concept, go with what’s fresh and match the flavours as best you can.

Punches are best described in ratios, as everyone will have a different sized jar, bowl or bathtub, depending on the size of one’s frivolity, and frankly your ambition.

My Summer Punch

Fill a preserving jar with ice and slide slices of lemons, limes and oranges down the side with a barspoon. Add 2 parts Tanqueray Gin, 1 part Lillet Blanc, 1 part pomegranate juice, 1 part cloudy apple juice, 1/2 part fresh squeezed lemon juice. Garnish with mint, think bush not sprig.

The walk or drive to the destination should provide sufficient mixing.

Enjoy, and feel free to share your own punch combos in the comments.

Lillet Blanc

Perhaps no other alcohol has a bigger profile and such a low instance of product trial. It is a wonderful little gem that started life in Podensac, just south of Borbeaux in France.

Lillet is an aperitif made from wine blended with citrus liqueurs, primarily orange. It has a wonderfully full, fruity and herbal taste and is distinct from Italian vermouth by its lack of spicy notes.

Enjoyed by the French over ice with a slice of orange, Lillet makes an essential ingredient in a Corpse Reviver #2, the Kir Lillet and of course, the Vesper martini ordered by Ian Fleming’s James Bond in his 1953 novel, Casino Royale*.

Lillet can be used in place of almost any recipe that calls for Martini Bianco, for a softer, more subtle drink.

You can buy it here in Sydney at Elizabeth Bay Cellars, where you’ll find it masterfully chilled in the ice box, and at Ultimo Cellars.

* Bond actually calls for a martini made with Gordons Gin, Smirnoff Vodka and Kina Lillet, a precursor to todays version that would have been both more bitter and sweet, the bitterness coming from the addition of the quinine to the beverage and excess sugar being used to hide impurities in the manufacturing process.

Lotus

22 Challis Ave, Potts Point.

+61 2 9326 9000

Google Map.

Stashed away out the back of Lotus‘ restaurant on Challis Ave in Potts Point, this micro bar punches well above its size. Part of Sydney’s flash as Merivale Group, while the clientele is often fruitier than the cocktails, Lotus manages class without the pretension of the shinier, larger and altogether more wanky Ivy. But I digress.

There are two seats up close to the bar, if I am not sitting in them, pull up a pew, talk, drink and enjoy some of the highest quality hosting in the City. The bar manager, Peter*, is genuine czech class, mixing up ultra tasty libations for an adoring bar.

I started with a Corpse Reviver 22, which is actually a Corpse Reviver No.2, but despite the faux pas on the name, the drink was immaculate. As close to perfect as I have ever tasted.

Bohemia was a champagne cocktail of excellence; le mercier absinthe, shaken with a hint of fresh lemon and sugar, topped with domaine chandon and caramelised star anise.

I followed these up with a cocktail from the front section. I can’t recall it’s name but it was Tain something, cherries muddled with Glenmorangie. Stunning, deep, velvety, delicious. I’ll be back to find out the name later in the week.

Ultimo Wine Centre

Tucked in the middle of very nondescript street in Ultimo. This store has one of the most impressive ranges of fine wines from around the world I have ever seen. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and love to talk about their trade.

On the liqour front, they stock a wonderful range of hard to find Tequila; including Familia Partida, Liquers like G. E. Massenez Liqueur de Violette and also are stockists of Lillet Blanc. They also have Blanton’s Bourbon. Well worth making a trip.

They sell plenty of this stuff online here. 

You can also find them at the address below.

Shop c21/99 Jones St
Ultimo NSW 2007

+61 2 9211 2380

Google Map.

Corpse Reviver No.2

First appears in the 1930 Edition of Harry Craddock`s Savoy Cocktail Book in a section called `Reviver Cocktails`, designed to be drunk before 11am or `whenever steam and energy are needed`.

This is one of those drinks that just works. A perfect balance of liqueur, vermouth, spirit and citrus. The style existed briefly around 1920; until the more practical style of the 30`s, the Sour (citrus, spirit, liqueur, no vermouth) won the day. The flavours are all clearly defined and at the same time beautifully mixed. A truly great classic drink.

Find yourself a boston glass, or a three piece shaker will do the trick. Add equal parts Beefeater Gin, fresh lemon juice, Cointreau and Lillet Blanc. Ice yourself a martini glass, adding a dash of absinthe (or Pernod, should you have none)  to the ice. Ice up the Boston, top it with the cap and give it a short, sharp shake. Discard the ice from the martini glass and strain your perfectly balanced Corpse Reviver No.2 into its vessel. Garnish with a wide peel of lemon, twisted.

I’ve found this drink also works well mixed in a tupperware container in bulk, up to a liter measured out in a Pyrex jug, shaken and poured long over ice on a hot Sydney day, garnished with mint to bring out the cooling anise…

Elizabeth Bay Cellars

Tucked in a small row of shops on Elizabeth Bay Road lies the unimaginatively named Elizabeth Bay Cellars. Inside some quaint doors lies a veritable cornucopia of drinking pleasure, $10 cleanskins, a great selection of imported and local reds, and possibly the largest selection of chilled whites I’ve seen in this country.

The staff are a real pleasure, knowledgeable to a fault, happy to recommend, assist or simply talk about any facet of the alcoholic excess that clads their walls.

Proud stockists of 42BELOW vodka, Flor de Cana Rum & Van Winkle Reserve Bourbon. You’ll even find Lillet Blanc resting peacefully in the icebox, where every bartender knows it should be.

All that and they even sell (some of the range) online. right here.

Or if you prefer a less digital experience, you can find them using any of these methods:

76 Elizabeth Bay Rd
Elizabeth Bay, NSW 2011 

Phone: +612 9358 1688
Fax: +612 9358 2347 

Google Map.

Email: ebaycellars@bigpond.com.au