[1] The Vesper Martini, created by the novelist Ian Fleming in his first James Bond novel (photo © LT Bar & Grill | Hackensack, New Jersey).

[2] Chill the cocktail shaker and the spirits in the freezer to get the coldest Martini (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[3] Gordon’s London Dry Gin was James Bond’s choice of gin. Although the proof was cut in the U.K., there is a 94.6 proof* export version (photo © Gordon’s Gin | Diageo).

[4] Bond specified Polish or Russian vodka, but no brand (photo © Ibrahim Unal | Pexels).

[5] A classic Dry Martini. Here’s the recipe (photo © Dante NYC).

[8] This Caviartini is garnished with a cucumber slice and a Petrossian Caviarcube® (photo © Petrossian).

[9] Not just any olives: These are stuffed with premium blue cheese (photo © Ruth’s Chris).

How about a special Martini for Father’s Day? This Martini has a legacy: It’s James Bond’s Vesper Martini recipe.

The drink was invented and named by Ian Fleming in his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale (1953).

Thanks to Fleming, the Vodka Martini entered the cocktail culture. By the second Bond novel, Live and Let Die, Bond is drinking vodka Martinis, starting the trend that pretty much replaced the classic gin Martini recipe for many fans.

In Casino Royale, Bond orders a Martini with vodka in addition to the classic gin; then replaces the vermouth with Kina Lillet, a different fortified white wine.

“A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”

“Just a moment. 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. Got it?”

Later in the book, he names the drink Vesper, after his love interest, Vesper Lynd. It more properly is called simply a Vesper, since the ingredients have strayed from those of the Martini.

The catchphrase “shaken, not stirred,” entered our jargon in “Diamonds Are Forever” (1956).
 
 
RECIPE: THE VESPER MARTINI

The cocktail first appeared in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, which was published in 1953. It was named for the fictional double agent—and Bond love-interest—Vesper Lynd.

Called a Vesper for short, the formulation of the drink has changed slightly.

 
But it’s easy enough to substitute and recapture the original flavor of the drink [source].
 
Ingredients For One Drink

 
Preparation

Our tip: To get Bond’s “extra-cold” temperature, chill the glass and the ingredients—gin, vodka, Lillet, and shaker—in the freezer in advance.

1. ADD the ingredients to a shaker and shake until the contents are ice-cold. Here’s how to shake a cocktail (video).

2. STRAIN into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish and twist a large, thin-cut lemon peel over the top.
 
 
> MARTINI HISTORY
 
 
50+ MORE MARTINI RECIPES

 
And for fun, but not a drink:

*Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, American Beefeater, and Broker’s gina provide the traditional flavor of the original Gordon’s 94 proof gin. In the U.K., Gordon’s has been cut to 75 proof; a 94.6 proof version is exported.