A non alcoholic martini can be hard to find. A classic martini is made with straight alcohol, no fillers or mix-ins, just booze. It can be tricky to translate that into a non alcoholic drink. But don’t worry, we did it!

Our vesper mocktail is made with all non alcoholic ingredients. It is pretty amazing how delicious these non alcoholic “alcohols” can taste! Our drink is actually better than the classic vesper martini and we are going to tell you all about why.

What is a Vesper Martini?

The first Vesper drink appeared in 1953 The James Bond Book, Casino Royal written by Ian Fleming. The drink was essentially a martini, made shaken, not stirred. Perhaps you are familiar with this famous line…

The drink was named after a fictional double agent, Vesper Lynd. In the book (and then in the movie), he orders a dry martini served in a deep champagne goblet. The bartender whips up a drink made of gin, vodka and lillet, shakes it hard and then adds a slice of lemon peel. The Vesper was born and became an instant hit.

Ingredients in a Non Alcoholic Vesper

A traditional vesper drink is made with gin, vodka and a dry, aperitif wine called Lillet Blanc. Of course, we can’t use any of those ingredients at all. They all contain alcohol! Instead we use non alcoholic substitutes for every ingredient on the list. Here is what you will need to make our non alcoholic vesper drink:

Non Alcoholic Gin- Non alcoholic gin tastes a lot like classic gin. It is full of botanicals and herbal flavors with just a little bit of bite. Non alcoholic gin is made just like regular gin but the liquid undergoes multiple rounds of distillation to remove all the alcohol. With no alcohol in the bottle, all that is left is pure flavor!
Non Alcoholic Vodka- Non alcoholic vodka is also made through a distillation process. However, it is very hard to get the flavor of vodka in a non alcoholic drink since vodka is a pure spirit. By definition, it has no flavor. However, it does have a sharp, recognizable bite! This bite is essential in a vesper drink.
Non Alcoholic Dry Aperitif- The aperitif that is typically used in a vesper is a dry, wine made from grapes and other fruit liqueurs. There are quite a few, similar non alcoholic aperitif wines that will make a great vesper. Be sure to choose one that is white (or blanc) and labeled as “dry”.
Lemon Twist- The lemon twist is the classic vesper garnish. You can use a thin lemon slice but you don’t want to get too much lemon juice in the drink. The more peel the better.

Many of these ingredients can be found in your local liquor store. You can also order most of them online. That is our favorite way to get everything we need to make a vesper- it’s so easy to have things delivered right to your door! So once you get that delivery, here is what you need to do…

How to Make a Vesper Drink

Vesper drinks are pretty easy to make. In fact, they are incredibly simple and take less than one minute to put together. All you need is a cocktail shaker, a cocktail jigger and a martini glass! What do you do with all those tools?

Measure everything in a cocktail shaker then fill the shaker with ice.
Put the cocktail strainer on top of the shaker, hold back the ice, and pour the drink into a martini glass.
Add the lemon peel garnish then enjoy!

Simple, right? We told you it was easy! I bet you are ready to make this tasty non alcoholic drink right now. So, time to get going!

What is the Best Non Alcoholic Liquor?

There are a lot of non alcoholic liquors out there so it can be hard to choose which ones to try. Here is a quick look at our favorite brands of non alcoholic liquor and a little bit about why we like them.

Lyre’s- Lyre’s makes a lot of different types of non alcoholic drinks. We love their aperitif dry for this vesper drink. They also make a pretty good non alcoholic gin that you can use for a vesper mocktail.

Ritual Zero Proof- Ritual Zero Proof is another great brand that makes a lot of different types of non alcoholic liquors. The gin alternative is one of our favorite drinks, for sure. It is perfect for using to make a non alcoholic vesper.

Arkay- Arkay is one of the few, true non alcoholic vodkas on the market. It is made with Mexican spring water and has a clean, neutral taste with a strong bite, just like vodka. Order it online because it can be tricky to find in stores. It is the perfect non alcoholic vodka to make a virgin vesper cocktail.

Monday- We love Monday non alcoholic gin. It is smooth, floral and has that great juniper taste. Monday also make a lot of other non alcoholic spirits that you can try. It is a pretty popular brand so you should be able to find it just about anywhere.

Do you have all your non alcoholic spirits ready to go? Are you excited to make your virgin vesper cocktail “shaken, not stirred”, the James Bond way? Grab your secret agent glasses and a martini glass and you will be ready to play the part. We know that James Bond would love our virgin vesper and you will, too!

Virgin Vesper Drink Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Recipe by Mocktail.net

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Ingredients

2 fl ounces Non alcoholic Gin
2 fl Ounce Non alcoholic Vodka
1 Tbsp Non alcoholic Dry Aperitif
Lemon Twist

Tips and Tricks

• Add a tablespoon of orange juice for a fruitier drink.
• Serve the drink in a highball glass over ice for a more casual drink
Tools:
• Jigger
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer

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You Asked, We’re Answering

We love answering all your drink questions. We wanted to answer a few frequently asked questions about non alcoholic vespers here. You can always send us a message if you are still wondering about something!

What does a Vesper taste like?

The blend of spirits in a vesper make the drink taste slightly sweet and a little bit bitter. It has a powerful taste with just a hint of floral flavors.

Why is it called a Vesper?

The Vesper martini was named after the double agent, Vesper Lynd, in the James Bond book called Casino Royal. Bond created the martini and later named it after his love interest, Vesper.

What is the difference between a Vesper and a martini?

Most martinis are made with just gin or just vodka. The Vesper is made with both (of course, non alcoholic spirits in our recipe!). It also uses dry Lillet wine instead of vermouth and a lemon peel rather than the classic martini olive.