Espresso Martini
The famous and world-popular Espresso Martini is considered a real icon among drinks and is also a classic „Kahlua cocktail“. It is believed that none other than the bartender Dick Bradsell invented the Espresso Martini in 1984 at the request of a British top model in her own London bar. She wanted a cocktail that would „wake her up“. Bradsell heeded her request and mixed vodka, sugar, coffee liqueur and a freshly brewed espresso. This is how the first „Espresso Vodka“ was born, which is now known as Espresso Martini. At the end of the 90s, the trend was imposed of serving all cocktails in a martini glass and, from then on, offering them with the added „Martini“. The fact that the drink actually had nothing to do with a classic martini was irrelevant. And so, Dick Bradsell’s first „Espresso Vodka“ became the famous „Espresso Martini“.
Nowadays, this classic occupies a prominent place on all cocktail or party menus and, of course, it is also a must-have in trendy bars. Espresso Martini is characterized not only by the elegant martini glass, but also by the fine-pored foam on which coffee beans are usually placed.
The Martini is the king of cocktails: no other mixed drink epitomizes bar culture so much as the combination of gin and Vermouth, which is served in a conical-shaped glass with an olive. However, there is no satisfactory answer to the question of who invented the Martini. The drink arose as a result of an obscure evolution of the Martinez, which in turn developed from the Manhattan. The truth is that the first Martini recipes were published in cocktail books in 1888 and 1891. Over the decades, hundreds of different martinis have been created and some creations with „Martini“ in their name have little in common with the original. Probably thanks to the simple basic recipe of the martini, bartenders around the world have been creative with the drink at different times.
The Espresso Martini is a perfect example of a contemporary drink that has nothing in common with the original structure of the martini. It does not have gin or vermouth, but it is served in a martini glass. The addition of coffee and espresso liqueur makes it a tabletop drink. Depending on your preferences, you can also add a little sugar syrup. There is evidence that Espresso Martini was first mixed by Dick Bradsell in a London bar in 1984, when he wanted to satisfy a special request from a British top model („Wake me up and knock me out“). In the spirit of Bond’s famous phrase „shaken, not stirred“, the Espresso Martini is prepared in a shaker.
