The Vesper Cocktail

For those of you who enjoy the Vesper cocktail, which was made famous by the James Bond novel, Casino Royale (1953), do you have a favorite recipe?

Personally, I've never had one. But I am looking forward to trying one soon with the new bar equipment I have just ordered and received.

I have also just ordered and received Jim Meehan's book: "The PDT Cocktail Book." His recipe is as follows:

2.25 ounces of Plymouth Gin
0.75 ounces of Belvedere Vodka
0.5 ounces of Lillet Blanc
Stirred instead of shaken and garnished with a lemon twist.

Another recipe I found on the internet calls for 3 ounces of Gordon's gin (which I believe was Bond's brand), 1 ounce of Belvedere Vodka, and 0.5 ounces of Lillet Blanc. Garnished with a lemon twist.

Another recipe I found calls for 3 ounces of Tanqueray gin, 1 ounce of Stolichnaya Blue Label 100 proof vodka, 0.5 ounces of Lillet Blanc, and 2 dashes or orange bitters. Garnished with a lemon twist.

Is it true that the formula for Gordon's gin has changed since 1953, and this might be the reason why it may no longer be the preferred gin for the Vesper cocktail?

I have also become a fan of orange bitters in my martinis, so much so that I now take a bottle of Angostura orange bitters with me to any bar I go to that doesn't stock any kind of orange bitters at all. I then hand the bottle to the bartender and instruct him/her to add two dashes to the mixing glass for my martini. I think this is giving me the reputation of an eccentric, but so be it.

If you like the Vesper cocktail, what are your preferred brands of gin and vodka?

What is your opinion of the addition of orange bitters in a Vesper cocktail?

PP