Vesper Cocktail Bar

Named after Vesper Lynd, the only woman James Bond ever loved, cocktail bar Vesper has the kind of understated sophistication the martini-drinking secret agent would appreciate.

Located on a side street between Haarlemmerdijk and Brouwersgracht, Vesper is elegantly decorated with dark wallpaper, a sleek wooden bar and a few high tables (with those handy little hooks to hang your bag on).

The compact but carefully assembled menu lists classics like Mai Tai, Daiquiri and Mint Julep as well as some less well-known cocktails. These include Clover Club, a cocktail created in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, made from gin, raspberry syrup and fresh lemon juice; and Pisco Sour, a popular Peruvian drink made from eau de vie, lime juice and egg white.

But it was the special cocktail on the blackboard above the bar that kept calling me: gin with pear juice and a sprig of rosemary. The cocktail wasn’t too sweet and the woody rosemary gave it an unusual, intense aroma.

My normally beer-drinking friend couldn't make up his mind and so Andrew Nicholls, award-winning bartender formerly of Door 74, asked him what he liked and mixed up a cocktail called Dark and Stormy. Made from dark rum and ginger beer, it wasn’t even on the menu but was the perfect antidote to a wet Friday evening.

alt Vesper is still in its start-up phase - it opened in February 2010 - but the owner also plans to serve liquor flights in the future. Rather like wine flights (three half glasses of different wines) served at places like Bubbles & Wines, Vesper will serve rum and tequila flights. As Nicholls pointed out, tequila is usually downed so quickly most drinkers aren't even aware that there are distinct differences between tequilas.

Despite its elegant appearance, Vesper manages to feel more like someone's living room than an upmarket bar. The cocktails are prepared with skill and flair, and if that weren't enough to make you linger, then the fact that the bartenders can tailor their creations to your taste buds should.