Vesper

Bond.  James Bond.

Every woman’s fantasy and every man’s man. 

If you ask anyone who played the best James Bond on the large screen, you’ll get different answers:

·         Sean Connery

·         George Lazenby

·         Roger Moore

·         Timothy Dalton

·         Pierce Brosnan 

·         Daniel Craig

The first big screen James Bond was actually played by British actor, David Niven, in a comedic version of Casino Royale (1967), alongside the great Peter Sellers.   Patrick McGoohan, Irish actor famous for 1960’s British cult favorites “The Prisoner” and “Danger Man/Secret Agent” (whose character was strangely similar to James Bond right down to his introduction of himself in every episode: “Drake.  John Drake”), later turned down the part of James Bond (enter Sean Connery).  McGoohan also turned down the part of “The Saint” (enter Roger Moore).

I have always been in the Sean Connery camp myself.  My favorite Bond film is “Goldfinger” followed by “Dr. No”.  My third favorite Bond film is the somewhat overlooked “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.  This film is the only one where James Bond gets married (to Teresa), who just happened to be played by my favorite British actress Diana Rigg (Mrs. Peel, of 1960’s Avengers).  The film also had exciting bobsled chase scenes with Blofeld (Telly Savalas), and who didn’t want to take a peek under George’s kilt!! 

And then along came the most masculine, physically fit, edgy, and exciting James Bond portrayer yet, Daniel Craig, and I was a convert (and I am not usually drawn to blondes, I much prefer the dark, Mediterranean type).   My favorite modern Bond films are the Daniel Craig trilogy, in this order: “Casino Royale”, “Skyfall” and “Quantum of Solace”.  I hope there is a fourth on the horizon.

I had my own James Bond, a worldly jet-setter, connoisseur of the finer things, right down to the drink he always ordered, a “Vesper Martini”, and bartenders knew how to make it without asking for further explanation!  However, my Bond was Italian (you know- the dark, Mediterranean type).  I knew of the Vesper character from “Casino Royale”, but the connection between Vesper and a martini wasn’t immediate for me.    

Ian Fleming, author and creator of the famous fictional spy James Bond, wrote the novel “Casino Royale” in 1953.  Vesper Lynd, arguably one of the most unforgettable “Bond girls”, was a character based on a woman Fleming had an affair with when he was a Naval Intelligence Officer (nicknamed “Vesperale”).  In both the novel and film remake of “Casino Royale” (2006), James is intrigued by Vesper.

In Chapter 7 of the novel Casino Royale and in the 2006 film, when asked what he would have to drink, Bond ordered a dry martini to be served in a deep champagne goblet with “three measures of Gordon’s (Gin), one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet.  Shake it very well until its ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel”.  After ordering the drink, he added “I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name”.  Later in the novel, Bond named the martini after the dark featured, enigmatic character, “Vesper”.   

In later books and films, James Bond ordered his martinis with vodka (rather than gin), “shaken not stirred”.   I read that Kina Lillet is no longer produced, but can be substituted with blanc (white) Lillet Dry Vermouth or Cocchi Americano (an aperitivo distributed by Giulio Cocchi Spumanti from the Asti region of Italy).

I, myself, prefer “girly” martinis, flavored with Limoncello, pomegranate vodka, chocolate or lavender.  This Vesper raises her tall-stemmed martini glass to her Bond. 

Saluti e centi anni a ti..