Sexy Fish, an Asian fish and seafood restaurant located on the South East corner of Berkeley Square, Mayfair, shows us how to make the delcious Red Vesper cocktail.
Serves 1
Ingredients
30ml Plymouth Navy Strength infused with hibiscus flower (100g)
30ml Absolut Elyx
15ml Lillet Rose
2 drops grapefruit bitters
Lemon zest
1 lemon twist to garnish
To make the Plymouth Navy Strength infused with Hibiscus flower
Insert 100g of dried hibiscus flowers (available online or in specialist stores) into a bottle of Plymouth Navy Strength gin and leave it to rest for four hours in a refrigerator. Once fully infused, make sure to strain the spirit before serving (if you have a tea strainer or small sieve, it would be better to double strain it, but this is
not essential).
To make the cocktail
Put all the ingredients into a mixing glass and rapidly stir in a circular motion using a long spoon. Double strain (using the shaker and a small sieve or tea strainer) into a coupette or Champagne coupe and serve immediately. At Sexy Fish, the drink is garnished with a lemon star.
Inspiration
Ian Fleming’s fictional siren, Vesper Lynd has been portrayed by two of the most alluring women in the history of film – Ursula Andress and Eva Green. He also created a “Vesper martini” in honour of Lynd, which uses Lillet Blanc. Two reasons why you cannot blame the bar team at Sexy Fish – men and women alike – for wanting to create a cocktail in tribute to her character. Their adaptation includes Lillet Rose and grapefruit bitters, which give the drink a red hue. A little Chinese Bond villain is thrown into the mix – Lynd turns out to be a villain herself – and the Red Vesper is adorned with a yellow star, replicating the Chinese flag. Bitter and robust, the Red Vesper is the antidote to the classic Bond girl.
