jesper lind

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Linie Aquavit (Krogstad)
1 tsp Vanilla Syrup (1/4 oz BG Reynolds)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After the Haitian Zombie and dinner, I was in the mood for something drier and more classic cocktail in feel. Therefore, I reached for the Death & Co. Cocktail Book where I found Brian Miller's 2009 Jesper Lind. The name reminded me instantly of the Vesper named after Casino Royale's Vesper Lind character. The Vesper, as I describe in that post link, is a drink that I have a hard time wrapping my head around since it is gin diluted with a touch of vodka all flavored with a small amount of whatever Kina Lillet-like product we can source up. Few people would order gin and Lillet or vodka and Lillet, but the trio is pure literary/cinematic fetish! Luckily, the Jesper Lind took the drink in a very different and more flavorful direction.
The Jesper Lind gave forth a botanical aroma laden with caraway, anise, and junipery pine notes. Next, the grape sip led into gin and aquavit's herbal notes smoothed out by the vanilla syrup; finally, the aquavit's caraway returned on the finish. Indeed, sherry, aquavit, vanilla, and bitters proved to be a lot more interesting than vodka and a splash of Lillet.