Two Valentine’s Day Cocktails

Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, we thought we’d give you a couple of classic cocktail choices.

The Drink for the One Who Broke Your Heart…

This first cocktail was actually invented by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books. It first appeared in the Bond book Casino Royale. Bond orders the drink in this scene:

A dry martini,’ he said. ‘One. In a deep champagne goblet.’

‘Oui, monsieur.’

‘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?’

‘Certainly monsieur.’ The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

‘Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,’ said Leiter.

Bond laughed. ‘When I’m … er … concentrating,’ he explained, ‘I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold, and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I think of a good name.’

In the next chapter he meets Vesper Lynd who tells him, “I was born in the evening, a very stormy evening…” and Bond asks to borrow her name for the drink. If you’ve read Casino Royale or seen the movie you might agree that Vesper broke Bond’s heart.

Vesper Martini

• 3 oz. gin (Note: Gordon’s is a good everyday gin but you might try Tanqueray, Beefeater or Plymouth. We used Plymouth here)

• 1 oz vodka (classically this is 100 proof vodka—try Absolut, New Amsterdam or Svedka)

• ½ oz dry vermouth (The Kina Lillet is sold today as Blanc Lillet)

• Garnish: Lemon peel

Combine all ingredients (except lemon peel) in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well (shaken…not stirred). Strain into a large martini glass. Garnish with large piece of lemon peel.

Some people prefer to stir it like a classic martini. In this case, shaking is a good thing because it dilutes the drink which is very strong.

One of these cocktails should help heal that broken heart!

…and a Drink for Your One True Love

Here’s a simple but pretty cocktail to mix for your true love on Valentine’s Day. The history isn’t as romantic as the Vesper, but it’s also British in origin. It was developed by the Royal Navy in the 1800s as a way to make the medicinal bitters given to the sailors more palatable. Today, it’s a great way to try out different craft gin since the flavors of the gin really shine through.

Pink Gin

• 2 oz. gin
• 3 – 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• Garnish: lemon twist (optional)

In a cocktail shaker or glass filled with ice, add the gin and bitters. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mix up one of these classic cocktails and enjoy Valentine’s Day with someone you love!

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Thanks for reading! We’ll be back soon with cocktails for one of our favorite holidays — St. Patrick’s Day.