Cocktail of the week: The Sicilian Vesper

I do not, dear readers, regard myself as much of an experimenter when it comes to cocktails. I tend to stick to the classics – a martini, a Manhattan, an old-fashioned – and regard with suspicion and a healthy dose of contempt such abominations as the apple martini or the woo-woo. They seem to me to be the answer to a question no-one has asked, or, worse, alcohol delivery systems for those who don’t really enjoy drinking.

That said, if no-one ever innovated, we’d be left drinking moonshine from a mason jar, so from time to time I will break out. A conversation with a friend recently left me thinking that there should be a cocktail called a Sicilian Vesper (as any fule kno, the Sicilian Vespers is the name given to the outbreak of a rebellion in Sicily against French rule in 1282 – things kicked off at the Church of the Holy Spirit just outside Palermo at the beginning of Vespers). Now, a brief examination of the internet revealed several cocktails so named, mostly involving marsala. They sounded foul; blending marsala, poire Williams and sherry is not my idea of a good time. So it was time for some fresh thinking.

It seemed to me, mes braves, that a Sicilian Vesper should surely make some recognition of Ian Fleming’s famous Vesper cocktail as devised for Casino Royale. The idea of a gin and vodka mixture had to be central to it (as well as being a delicious combination). Clearly, though, there had to be some nod towards the island of Sicily itself, famous for, among other things, citrus fruit. What to do, what to do?

My eventual recipe was this. Take a generous measure of ice-cold gin (I keep mine in the freezer and made my martinis without ice; no dilution that way). As gin goes, Tanqueray Ten is my ideal, though I am currently using Beefeater 24. It has a nice orange tang to it, which suits this recipe very well. Add a similar amount of ice-cold vodka – I used Smirnoff Blue, but some people prefer Grey Goose (I can never get very excited about vodka). Absolut Citron would be another option to enhance the lemon aspect. Then, instead of vermouth, add a capful of limoncello, for sweetness but also tartness. What could be more Sicilian? Finally, add a dash of orange bitters (citrus again), then stir, and serve. You have a powerful but refreshing drink which I recommend to all. Excellent in all weathers, but I can see it becoming a staple as the summer comes along and the sun beats down upon us.

A coda to this; the inestimable Roxy Beaujolais has started serving a cocktail called a Soprano in the Seven Stars, which seems to me very similar: it is, I gather, vodka or gin, limoncello and angostura bitters. I have not tried one yet, though friends assure me that they are excellent and lethal. I make no claims to originality – not least because I am not so foolish as to cross Roxy – but I have arrived at a similar destination by different means. Let a thousand flowers bloom, eh?