No. 33Vodka & Gin Pickle Cocktails
Pickled Vesper
Shaken, not stirred. Pickled, not plain.
The Pickled Vesper is the gin-and-vodka martini from Casino Royale with a dill twist: gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano shaken ice-cold with dill pickle brine and served up with lemon peel. It is rounder and more floral than the Pickletinis, bittersweet up front with a crisp, salty finish.
21+Updated
- Glass
- martini glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Time
- 4 min
- Makes
- 1 drink
Ingredients
Amounts for 1, in ounces.
- 1½ oz London dry gin
- ½ oz vodka
- ½ oz Lillet Blanc (or Cocchi Americano)
- ½ oz dill pickle brine (strained)
- 1 wide strip of lemon peel (for garnish)
- 1 cornichon (on a pick, for garnish)
- Glass
- martini glass
- Garnish
- lemon twist and cornichon on a pick
How to make it
- Chill a martini glass in the freezer or with ice water.
- Add the gin, vodka, Lillet and pickle brine to a shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Twist the lemon peel over the drink to release its oils, then drop it in.
- Add the cornichon pick.
Bar tips
- Cocchi Americano has the quinine bite of the long-gone Kina Lillet; Lillet Blanc is softer and sweeter.
- Bond's ratio is 3 parts gin, 1 vodka and ½ Kina Lillet; this version doubles the Lillet's share to round off the brine.
- Prefer it silky and less cloudy? Stir for 30 seconds instead of shaking.
Bar lore
Ian Fleming introduced the Vesper in his 1953 novel Casino Royale, where James Bond orders three measures of Gordon's gin, one of vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet, shaken until ice-cold and finished with a large, thin slice of lemon peel. Bond names it after Vesper Lynd.
Drink responsibly. This one is for adults of legal drinking age. Want it without the booze? The zero-proof drinks are just as briny.
Full recipe: dillin.org/recipes/pickled-vesper
