{"id":714,"date":"2009-02-02T12:48:12","date_gmt":"2009-02-02T12:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cocktailians.com\/2009\/02\/vesper-virgin-not-to-be-confused-with-virgin-vesper.html"},"modified":"2009-02-02T12:48:12","modified_gmt":"2009-02-02T12:48:12","slug":"vesper-virgin-not-to-be-confused-with-virgin-vesper-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cocktailians.com\/?p=714","title":{"rendered":"Vesper Virgin (not to be confused with Virgin Vesper)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently had the very welcome opportunity to visit Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse at JFK<\/a>.  I'd expected upscale hotel-ish food and drinks, but they did far better than that.  The drinks menu featured a decent selection of wines, and I started my visit with a glass of Mumm NV Champagne.  But when it was dinnertime, I decided to switch to a cocktail to accompany my (very good) steak with chevre mashed potatoes and haricots verts.<\/p>\n

Here's where Virgin's promotional tie-in with the James Bond franchise<\/a> has paid off: In 2006's Casino Royale<\/a><\/em>, Bond orders his signature variation on the Martini<\/a>, almost exactly word-for-word from the 1953 novel:<\/p>\n

"A dry martini," he said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."<\/p>\n

"Oui, monsieur."<\/p>\n

"Just a moment. Three measures
\nof Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very
\nwell until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel.
\nGot it?"<\/p>\n

"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.<\/p>\n

"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.<\/p>\n

Bond laughed. "When I'm…er…concentrating," he explained, "I
\nnever have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to
\nbe large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small
\nportions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my
\nown invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."<\/p>\n

Later, of course, Bond christens it "the Vesper", after Vesper Lynd<\/a>.  It's something of an anachronism in the movie, though of course not the book: Kina Lillet was reformulated in the 1980s<\/a> and is now sold as Lillet Blanc<\/a>, with decidedly less quinine.  And, as David Wondrich has pointed out<\/a>, Gordon's gin was originally sold at 94 proof, but is now sold at 80.  (He offers an update, made with Tanqueray, Stoli 100, and a smidgen of quinine powder.)<\/p>\n

In last year's Quantum of Solace<\/a><\/em>, Bond and the Vesper both return, although the drink's name isn't spoken; Bond gives the recipe to a bartender on board a Virgin Atlantic flight<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Vesper\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And, the Vesper leads the cocktail list at Virgin's Clubhouse lounge, and went down quite nicely with my steak.  They serve them in appropriately smallish cocktail glasses, and it was a very well-made, balanced drink.  (Virgin makes theirs with six parts Bombay Sapphire, two parts Grey Goose, and one part Lillet Blanc, stirred and served with a twist.)  Yes, I was a little surprised to see it stirred, but I think Virgin was going for clarity over accuracy with that decision.<\/p>\n

The remainder of the cocktail list was all over the place, from a good-looking Margarita to gin or vodka Martinis, and a large selection of sweeter drinks such as the "Sex in the Lounge" (vodka, Midori, Chambord, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice), a huckleberry Cosmopolitan (made with huckleberry-infused vodka and oddly lacking lime juice), an apple "martini", and the "Virgin's Suite Dream" (Bombay Sapphire, lemon juice, cassis, Chambord, raspberries, and simple syrup, all topped with Champagne.)<\/p>\n

I stuck to the Vesper, and after three or so, I wanted to slay bad guys and jet off to exotic locales.  (Alas, it was just the AirTrain and the subway for me. But Queens is plenty exotic.)<\/p>\n

I must say I like Virgin Atlantic's cocktail tie-in better than this proposed cocktail for US Airways<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The Sully<\/strong><\/p>\n