Kina Lillet
Kina Lillet was the white aperitif wine of the Lillet house at Podensac, outside Bordeaux, produced from 1887 and bittered with quinine from cinchona bark. It was reformulated in 1986 and has not been sold under its old name since, so it cannot be bought. Accounts differ on whether the quinine was reduced: Difford's Guide says it was, DrinkBoy says it was not. Ian Fleming wrote it into the Vesper in 1953; Cocchi Americano is the usual stand-in now.
Quick Facts
No longer made, so there is no bottle to look after. Its successor, Lillet Blanc, needs chilling after opening, like any aromatised wine.
About Kina Lillet
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Quinine bitterness over citrus and white Bordeaux wine.
Kina Lillet ended in 1986
It was the white aperitif wine of the Lillet house in Podensac, created in 1887 by Paul and Raymond Lillet: white Bordeaux wine, fruit liqueurs and a liqueur of cinchona bark, the source of quinine. In 1986 the house reformulated it and Lillet Blanc took its place. Nothing to the old recipe has been made since. Accounts differ on whether the quinine was reduced: Difford's Guide says it was cut sharply, DrinkBoy says the level never changed.
Pre-1986 bottles do surface at auction. They are collectors' pieces: decades in glass change any wine, so one would not taste as it did when new.
The Vesper was written around it
In Casino Royale, published in 1953, Ian Fleming's Bond orders his drink by the measure: three measures of gin to one of vodka, and a half measure of Kina Lillet, shaken very cold and served with a large strip of lemon peel. At half a measure the aperitif supplied bitterness as much as sugar, so changing the bottle changes the drink.
Our Vesper follows the IBA with Lillet Blanc at 7.5ml, and gives a more bitter Cocchi Americano version.
What to pour in its place
Kina Lillet and the bottles used for it now
Kina Lillet
- Available
- No; made 1887 to 1986
- Strength
- No reliable figure
- Quinine bitterness
- Pronounced
- Use it for
- Reading old recipes
Cocchi Americano
- Available
- Yes
- Strength
- 16.5% ABV
- Quinine bitterness
- Marked, from cinchona
- Use it for
- The bitter, quinine-led reading
Lillet Blanc
- Available
- Yes
- Strength
- 17% ABV
- Quinine bitterness
- Light
- Use it for
- The modern IBA Vesper
| Bottle | Available | Strength | Quinine bitterness | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kina Lillet | No; made 1887 to 1986 | No reliable figure | Pronounced | Reading old recipes |
| Cocchi Americano | Yes | 16.5% ABV | Marked, from cinchona | The bitter, quinine-led reading |
| Lillet Blanc | Yes | 17% ABV | Light | The modern IBA Vesper |
Made in Asti since 1891 with cinchona, gentian and wormwood, Cocchi Americano holds on to that bitterness and is the common swap. Lillet Blanc, the direct descendant, is the softer choice. Neither is the old bottle, and both make a good drink.
Reading a recipe that names it
A specification calling for Kina Lillet predates 1986, and if Difford’s account is right it was balanced against a more bitter bottle than today’s. The choice matters most at small measures, as in Fleming's half measure, where the aperitif wine supplies all the bitterness there is. Keep the measure, pick the bottle for the drink you want, and taste before adjusting anything else.
Using Kina Lillet
Usage
None today: it is no longer made. It appears in recipes written before 1986, chiefly the Vesper of Casino Royale, where it brought bitterness as well as sweetness. Read Kina Lillet in an old recipe as Cocchi Americano for the bitter reading, or Lillet Blanc for the modern one.
Pro Tip
If a Vesper made with Lillet Blanc tastes soft, try the Cocchi Americano version before adding more of anything. Cocchi's quinine bitterness is the difference, and more Lillet only adds sweetness.
Top Tips
- Any recipe that names Kina Lillet was written before 1986.
- For the old bitterness, pour Cocchi Americano at the same measure.
- For the drink as bars pour it now, use Lillet Blanc, which the IBA Vesper names.
Possible Substitutions
- Cocchi Americano: The usual choice: it keeps a quinine bitterness
- Lillet: The direct successor; softer than Cocchi Americano
Production Method
White Bordeaux wine with fruit liqueurs, chiefly citrus, and a cinchona-bark liqueur for quinine bitterness. No longer produced.
History & Context
Kina Lillet was created in 1887 by the brothers who had founded the Lillet house fifteen years earlier. Kina comes from kina-kina, a name for the cinchona tree whose bark gives quinine. Fleming had James Bond order it in Casino Royale in 1953. In 1986 the house reformulated it as Lillet Blanc; accounts differ on whether the quinine was reduced, with Difford's Guide saying it was and DrinkBoy saying it was not.