Vesper, Kobe, and Friends
I’m just back from one of those rare dinners where the food, the service, and the company were all in perfect synergy..
Our car arrived a bit before the rest of the crew and when the waiter made his rounds, I followed the drink order of a domestic beer and a gray goose on the rocks. My choice was a “Vesper“. To be honest, I’d never ordered this drink, but from first hearing of it, I knew it needed to be on my short list. The waiter had never heard of it either but was completely accommodating. After checking with the bartender, Jason returned with “if you can tell us how to make it, we would be happy to give it a try”. I had to admit I did not have the recipe on the tip of my tongue so I said I would get him the information in a moment. Fortunately I had a Blackberry. I don’t think my employer ever expected this particular technological use but I put it into service and did some quick searches and fiddling. I came back with …
- 3 parts Tanqueray
- 1 part 100 proof Stoli Vodka
- 1/2 part Lillet Blanc
Our waiter made notes and scurried off. A short time later, he returned with an iced martini glass and a shaker. He quickly announced “the bartender discovered he had Lillet Blanc - no one had ever ordered it. It was an un-opened bottle.” After shaking the mixer, he poured my drink.
I now understand why Ian Fleming authored this drink in his first book -
“… I do like that one [drink] to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made.”
Source: Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
Before the night was done, I had ordered a second.
By the way, dinner was at Ruth’s Chris in Nashville. The Kobe steak was stunning as was the mashed sweet potatoes. I want to steal their idea of topping the sweet potatoes with roasted pecans. However, I want to make it a perfect desert by making a sweet potato pie with a roasted pecan crust. The restaurant may have inspired it, but the recipe will be all mine <grin>.
