Monday 9 August 2010

Why Vesper is not Vesper anymore


Ian Fleming made this classic drink famous via his novel "Casino Royale" (the year was 1953). The thirsty protagonist is a British agent James Bond, who always checks into hotels using his own name. Talk about travelling incognito, when all the bartenders, hotel managers and massage therapists from the top hotels from Hong Kong to New York know the man by name!

In any case, I did my homework on this recipe a long time ago. It is nice to notice that the Wikipedia article has caught up with reality as well. The problem with trying to create the experience Ian Fleming would have been enjoying is twofold:

1) Kina Lillet is not made anymore.

2) Most modern vodka is not 100-proof, and also the gin needs to be 94-proof. However, these can be found (Wikipedia mentions 100-proof Stoli and Tanqueray gin).

The closest product to Kina Lillet is Lillet Blanc by the same producer. Check them out here.

So what is the difference between Kina Lillet and Lillet Blanc? Kina refers to quinine, which gives the drink a twang of bitterness, and that is precisely the ingredient that has been toned down. So why is that? Quinine comes cinchona tree in South America, and it was the first effective treatment for malaria. It also has fever-reducing, anti-inflammatory and painkilling effects. However, overdose can lead to death or complications.

The Quechua Indians in Peru used to mix ground bark of Cinchona tree to sweet water, thus creating tonic water. It was used to stop shivering in low temperatures. Thanks to this, not only Bond got to sip his Vespers, but also mankind got a taste for gin tonics, which were introduced by the army of the British East India Company. The tonic water with its quinine would keep malaria at bay in the tropics.

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