… rustling in the leaves was a small creature, not more than 4 inches in length. On a forceful day, it might be found standing on its hind legs and even then it would be little more than half a foot high. Still, it was the ruler of the forest from which it had evolved.

Those are the opening lines from a story I never read – well, “read” I guess is the key word there. From what I remember, the “creature” in question looked a bit like what your imagination would conjure if I described a mouse morphed with dragon – but remaining the size of a mouse. the creature was called a Vesper … but no relationship to the drink or the scooter.

The Vesper was both quick *and* ferocious – at least to anything that crossed its path. Yet to most creatures of the forest, the Vesper was the guardian. The Vesper was also a very old creature – older than nearly every other thing that dwelled in the vast growth. Most reckon it has evolved over millennia but not quite sure from what. It had no real root origins in any phylum or species. And yet, the Vesper was more often than not respected for its fair undertaking of the goings on in the deep woods. That was, until the day that the forest was besieged by the “invaders”. The Vesper knew it’s domain was in jeopardy but knew even more keenly that it’s presence should be disguised.

So, it was, that the Vesper took to the caves and the darkness. Time passed and the Vesper grew more accustom to the dark. It’s eyes became sensitive to light and its body grew anemic. It gained a keen sense of space and objects in its vicinity. Time passed too for the “invaders” and they grew in numbers. The Vesper multiplied too, but in hiding.

There would come a time when the Vesper over crowded all of its dark places and could no longer keep in hiding. Given it’s extended evolution of darkness, the Vesper only ventured out under the cloak of darkness – an environment suited to it’s generations in hiding. It was seldom seen in the night and when it was it was not recognized for what it once was and how it had became its current form from its long forgotten presence.

to be continued ….

image source: unknown

I had a very long day so at the end of the work day, I poured myself a Vesper. I use the traditional champagne glass as dictated in the text of Ian Flemming’s Casino Royale. My glass is just a little less than 6oz. It’s probably close to what Mr. Flemming wrote for James Bond. So, let’s do the math …

The recipe for a Vesper calls for Gin, Vodka, and Lillet. I read the labels on my bottles and discovered the ABV (alcohol by volume) was 47.3%, 50%, and 17% respectively. The ration is 3:1:?. So that is 3oz at 47.3% plus 1oz at 50% plus ?oz at 17%. this averages out to 44.5% over the 4?oz. Let’s scale that up to 5oz.

If we compare that to a 12oz beer at 4?% it would take a bit more than 4 beers.

If we compare that to a 6oz glass of wine at 11?% it would take almost 3? glasses of wine.

Neither of these seem to be excessive until you think that the Vesper typically would be consumed in about 30 minutes. A decadent night could have two of these before dinner. That’s 8 beers or 7 glasses of wine in about an hour !

I’m just back from one of those rare dinners where the food, the service, and the company were all in perfect synergy. Continue reading ‘Vesper, Kobe, and Friends’ »