"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?" ("Casino Royale", Chapter 7.)
So in reality, a “measure” translates as an ounce. So that’s 3 ounces of gin, one of vodka, and half an ounce of Kina Lillet (nowadays is Lillet Blanc as Kina Lillet is no longer made). It mostly tastes of gin and is quite strong, even when shaken with ice to dilute the strength. I have also discovered I like gin.
***
Bond’s moods could usually be determined by what he wanted to drink. Straight scotch was always for after a mission when his nerves were tight and he needed the sharp burn of the liquor to ground him in the reality of safety. Wine was usually for dates, suited to the dim lighting of a restaurant when romance was to be had. Beer was for watching sports or having a pint at the weekly quiz in their local pub. He and Q were an unbeatable team when both were free and in town.
But he only ever drank the Vesper when things were bad.
This particular mission had gone sideways. Really sideways. His informant had turned on him, most of the information he’d been sent to gather had been destroyed, and an unfortunate civilian who he had tried to protect had been utterly obliterated by a bomb meant for him. Bond stumbled home, tired and wired from the mission, but he didn’t head to Q’s flat when the plane landed. He went to his own, stopping at the shops on his way.
The Vesper. Named for the enigmatic woman who had broken him on his first big assignment as 007. The woman he had been forced to reckon with and then watch die, knowing she had betrayed and then saved him. The dark hair and green eyes, the playful smile around her mouth when he said something clever. Times like this he could still feel her touch, and he knew she still haunted his memories. She always would.
Mixing the drink took only a few moments. He did it expertly, smoothly, before straining the concoction into his glass and adding the lemon peel. The hint of sour mixed in with the gin and vodka, the slight sweet hint of the Lillet mostly covered by the rest of the alcohol. He took the drink and sat on the sofa, ignoring his various aches and pains as he sipped slowly.
The taste always brought back memories of the Casino Royale mission. He could still feel the pain of being poisoned and tortured, the terror as he knew he was growing attached to Vesper, the raw fury of Le Chiffre’s initial win at the table. Victory and pain and sorrow mingled as he sipped slowly, resisting the urge to down it in a single gulp.
But this time, instead of having the place to himself so he could wallow, he heard a key in the lock. A moment later Q had let himself into the flat, leveling a tired stare at the Walther in James’s hand. He dropped his bag and coat by the door, toed off his shoes, and joined Bond on the sofa while the agent put his gun away. To Bond’a surprise, Q pulled a flask from his vest and took a swig.
They sat in silence, drinking and sharing the space. Bond was still raw from the mission and operating on a hair trigger, but Q looked just as wrung out and exhausted. Having Q in his ear had made some things easier, James mused as he took another sip of the Vesper. And knowing his lover was safe in MI6 would always lend a slight comfort to him. Looking at the glass in his hand, Bond held it out to Q, who raised an eyebrow but took the glass and tasted the drink.
“What do you think?” Bond asked, unable to read Q’s blank expression.
“Tastes like gin,” Q replied before handing the glass back. “And gin right after scotch isn’t the best combination.”
Bond chuckled wryly and finally drained the glass. He stared at the lemon peel left behind and felt his chest ache a bit. Maybe this drink embodied everything he had once lost, but everything that made his life good right now was sharing the sofa with him right then.
And even though words could lie, actions would always tell the truth. And Bond vowed to do everything he could to show Q that truth. It was time to leave the past behind and start looking towards the future.