Espresso Martini Drink: How to create the trendy cocktail

Coffee and vodka
Mix your own Espresso Martini: The coffee cocktail with history

Espresso Martini is a drink from the 90s that is experiencing a resurrection. What a supermodel had to do with its creation and how you can mix the drink yourself.

Who doesn’t know it: Friday evening, the mood is exuberant, the bar is full and your eyes are heavy as lead. What was once a student’s problem because you had already celebrated the day before is now the result of a long day at work. In the past, tiredness was combated with a sticky-sweet and extremely vulgar mix of vodka and Red Bull. But the vodka-E generation has grown up (or become less vulgar) and with it their taste is changing for the better. Espresso Martini is making a comeback. And that’s a good thing, because it’s not only a liquid pick-me-up that tastes great, but also one that exudes far more style than cheap energy drinks with junk vodka from half-heartedly cleaned plastic cups at a long-forgotten flat rate party.

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19.11.2021

According to legend, at the end of the 80s, a then unknown but now world-famous model ordered a drink in London’s Fred’s Bar with the words: “Wake me up and then fuck me“, in English: Wake me up and knock me out. Dick Bradsell (4 May 1959 to 27 February 2016), the bartender at the bar and one of the most famous cocktail mixers in Great Britain, took the lady at her word and subsequently created the first Espresso Martini. The bartender himself tells the story in an interview.

But no one knows for sure whether it is true. Rumor has it that the later supermodel was Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell, as GQ writes – but this has not been confirmed. The fact that the two superstars are four years apart speaks for Campbell and against Moss. In 1989, Moss would have been 15 years old – it is unlikely (but not impossible in London in the 1980s) that Bradsell would have mixed her a cocktail. The inventor of the Espresso Martini never revealed who it really was. True to the motto: What happens in my bar stays there.

Shot in the black: This is what the Espresso Martini contains

As mysterious as the origin of the coffee cocktail may be, its success story is just as unique. In 2017, the Espresso Martini was the most ordered cocktail in Australia. The Aussies love the drink so much that they sell it in small cans in practical packs of four. Fans of the stimulant shell out around eight Australian dollars for the delicacy at the supermarket chain Asda. Those who are too lazy to mix must also make sure that they can buy a ready-brewed Espresso Martini on Amazon.

Of course, a homemade espresso martini tastes better – and it has a lot to it. Even the original ingredients tell a politically charged story: Bradsell uses Wyborowa Vodka from Poland. Why this vodka?

As the inventor explains, because of the East-West conflict at the end of the 1980s, it was still taboo to use Russian vodka for mixing. It was considered more prestigious to use Polish vodka. Bradsell chose Wyborowa because it was more balanced and pure than other spirits. In addition to the vodka, you also need espresso, Kaluha, Sugar syrupIce cubes, and the right Toolalso a measuring cup, a cocktail shaker, the Martini glasses and of course a Espresso maker.

When choosing coffee, opt for a classic Italian espresso, such as the Om Coffee Diamante. Experienced espresso drinkers grind the beans fresh and boil them in the espresso maker if you don’t have one Portafilter machine Call your own.

Kaluha is a well-known rum-based coffee liqueur that tastes sweet and powerful.

When choosing sugar syrup, it is ideal to choose a neutral variety such as Le Sirup de Monin.

The preparation

The preparation is not rocket science: First, cool the martini glass with ice cubes. Then, according to the International Bartender Association, add ice cubes to the shaker and for each espresso martini 50 milliliters (ml) vodka, 30 ml Kaluha, 10 ml syrup and an espressoShake well and separate the liquid from the ice by pouring it into a glass. Remove the ice from the shaker and shake the cocktail again without ice in the shaker. Before the espresso martini finds its place in the martini glass, remove the ice cubes from those that have cooled it down. Place three coffee beans on the foam and the deliciousness is ready.

The “wrong” Martini

The Espresso Martini is by no means a real Martini. It lacks Italian vermouth. It owes its name mainly to the triangular glass in which it is often served. By the way: With Kaluha and vodka you quickly have all the ingredients for a White Russian. All you need is the milk on top and you can enjoy the cult drink from the Dude in the film “The Big Lebowski”.

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Sources: theguardian.com, gq.co.uk, youtube.com, iba.com

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