The Vesper Martini was born from the pen of Ian Fleming in his 1953 novel Casino Royale, where James Bond orders a drink he names the “Vesper” after Vesper Lynd, a character in the book. Fleming’s recipe, three measures of Gordon’s gin, one measure of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shaken until ice cold and served with a large thin slice of lemon peel, was as much a plot device as a cocktail, instantly associating the drink with Bond’s cool, unflappable persona. Though fictional at first, the Vesper’s literary origin gave it a glamorous, cinematic pedigree that ensured it would be made and debated by bartenders and aficionados thereafter.

Over time bartenders have substituted modern equivalents for Kina Lillet (now Lillet Blanc) and adjusted proportions to taste. Its popularity rose with the Bond franchise, the cocktail enjoyed waves of renewed interest whenever a new film or adaptation spotlighted Bond’s sophisticated tastes, and especially after the 2006-2021 Daniel Craig era brought a grittier, retro Bond back into cultural conversation. Bartenders and home mixologists embraced the Vesper as a stylish, slightly daring hybrid, shaken rather than stirred, crisp and boozy.

Fans have theories about the cocktail in that requesting “shaken not stirred” was a deliberate mind game Bond was playing against the villain Le Chiffre (and everyone else at the poker table). Bond was trying to make himself look like an arrogant goof to get everyone to doubt his card skills and not take him seriously. He wanted everyone thinking “what kind of a dork asks for an all spirits cocktail to be shaken instead of stirred?”.

Below is the excerpt from Casino Royale where Ian Flemming writes the Vesper Martini for the first time, going through the instructions of the drink:

“A dry martini,' he 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?”