Food - Drink
The Alluring Origin Story Of The Espresso Martini
By HEATHER LIM
Although it never went out of fashion, the espresso martini has made a huge comeback perhaps due to its timeless style, rich flavor, or combination of both alcohol and caffeine. Not only does this drink have a charming appearance and taste, but it also has a glitzy origin story to match, starting in the late 1980s at Fred’s Club in London.
One night, Dick Bradsell, a legendary mixologist and bartender, was working the bar when a young model came up to him with a quirky request for a drink as stimulating as it was intoxicating. The “cocktail king” combined a few shots of vodka, simple syrup, Kahlúa coffee liqueur, and a fresh shot of espresso.
Bradsell shook up the concoction, strained it into a chilled martini glass, and placed three espresso beans on the foamy surface. While the drink was first known as a vodka espresso, Bradsell named the drink the Pharmaceutical Stimulant. Eventually, anything served in a martini glass was called a “martini,” and the drink came to be known as an espresso martini.