Reverse Vesper with Lillet Blanc

'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?'

It’s not the first time we talk about the Vesper on this blog. The iconic Dry Martini variation, as featured in the James Bond novel and movie “Casino Royale”, is a spirit-forward drink with world fame. The original recipe called for Kina Lillet as vermouth-style ingredient. In 1986 they removed most of the quinine liqueur from the recipe and changed the name of the bottle to Lillet Blanc. Quinine is very bitter, so the current Lillet is much softer in taste. 

In the movie, Vesper asks Bond if he named the drink after her "because of the bitter aftertaste", James answers "I named it after you because once you have tasted it, you won't drink anything else." 

If you want to serve a Vesper that comes very close to the original recipe, you could swap the Lillet for Cocchi Americano. But that is NOT what we are going to do today. 

The Vesper is a pretty heavy drink. In summer I like my drinks to be slightly lower in alcohol. That’s why the ‘Reverse Vesper’ might be a great idea. With Lillet Blanc as a base you get a totally different drink that’s actually really tasty. The recipe is very much Lillet-forward and has the stronger spirits in a supporting role, which will boost the flavors of the Lillet.  

About the measurements for this drink… There are many different sizes in Martini glasses available. Through history originally Martini glasses were pretty small drinks (so you could drink many of them)… but the size of the glasses always got bigger and bigger. For this reason I’ll give you the recipe also in parts, to adjust the recipe to the size of your glasses.

And yes, I like my drinks “bar-style”, so my recipe is still slightly bolder than what you’ll find on the brand websites for average home use 😉 

Reverse Vesper

Ingredients
40 ml or 3 parts Lillet Blanc
25 ml or 2 parts Filliers Grain Vodka
7 ml or ½ part Beefeater Gin

Method
A Vesper needs to be “shaken, not stirred”… but this Reverse Vesper is a light cocktail that might get too weak when shaken. I prefer this one stirred, just like my other Martini drinks. 

Stir together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain in a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. First give it a squeeze to get some of the oils on your drink. 

P.S. Next month, for a limited time, this drink will be on the suggestions menu at Paal 26 Grand Café.

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations. This article is a paid partnership with Paal 26 Grand Café.

The better half of the Reverse Headbutt - with Smeets Jenever

A daily shot of jenever is the secret recipe for a long and happy life. That’s the remedy that’s passed on from generation to generation. One of the real pioneer brands was Smeets. They started exactly 100 years ago in Hasselt. A couple of weeks ago Tom Smeets asked me if I was interested to receive an “experience box” with his new book around this famous shot of booze. Tom is the great-grandson of founder Gerard Smeets and now runs his own communication company. He is still very much involved in the jenever business started by his family. I received a nice giftbox with a book, a sample of jenever, a glass, a barspoon and even a ready-made cocktail. The cocktail was ‘Gerry’s Gimlet’, which I’m not going to discuss on the blog but I’ll throw a picture in the stories when I sample it. I decided to re-shake another nice cocktail from the ‘Jenever Revival’ book.

Let’s talk about Boilermakers, the typical drink where you serve a shot of whiskey next to your beer. I’m not talking about beer-cocktails like the Mexican Michelada, but two separate glasses in front of you. In Belgium and the Netherlands there is a similar tradition with a shot of unaged jenever and a pilsner beer. It’s called a headbutt. 

If you want to reverse this story, you have two problems to solve. You need a very tasty cocktail, which is strong enough to stand up against the beer. And you need a beer which doesn’t overpower the cocktail, but lifts it up. Bartender Jurgen Nobels developed his own version of this ‘Reverse Boilermaker’ for Smeets Jenever. It’s called the ‘Reverse Headbutt’ (or in Dutch ‘Omgekeerde Kopstoot’). 

Today I’m mostly interested in the cocktail-part of this drink (also because I don’t really like beer), but you can easily pair this cocktail with a 50 ml shot of dark Stout-beer to turn it into a ‘Reverse Headbutt’. The cocktail is an Old Fashioned style drink which adds multiple flavors to the Jenever, without really mixing (or messing) it up. It’s a spirit forward drink that lifts up and enhances the Jenever. 

The Better half of the Reverse Headbutt

Ingredients
60 ml Smeets Jenever
3 dashes Angostura Aromatic bitters
4 dashes Angostura Cocoa bitters 
1 barspoon of vanilla syrup

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds to cool and blend. Strain into a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with orange. 

And there is more...
Oh yes, you might want to take a look at our Instagram. Normally I stopped doing contests or give-away's, but since I really like books with cocktail recipes… three lucky people will receive a Smeets Jenever experience box !!! 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.