Coffee and vodka
Mix espresso martini yourself: the coffee cocktail with a special history
Three coffee beans on the head complete the espresso martini.
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Espresso Martini is a legendary drink from the nineties that is enjoying a resurgence in many bars. But what did an ominous supermodel have to do with his creation and how do you mix the drink yourself?
Who does not know it: Friday evening, the atmosphere is lively, the bar is full and the eyes are heavy as lead. What was still due to the fact that people celebrated the day before when they were studying, is now the result of a long working day. In the past, tiredness was fought by a sticky, sweet and extremely vulgar mix of vodka and Red Bull. But the Vodka-E generation has grown up (or at least less vulgar) and with it their taste has changed for the better. Espresso Martini is celebrating its comeback. Good thing, because it is not only a liquid wake-up call that tastes delicious, but also one that exudes a lot more style than cheap energy with junk vodka from half-heartedly cleaned plastic cups from a long-forgotten flat rate party.
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 up“, in German: wake me up and blow me away. Dick Bradsell (May 4, 1959 to February 27, 2016), at the time the bartender in the locality and one of the most famous cocktail mixers in Great Britain, took the lady at her word and created the Follow the first espresso martini – at least the bartender tells the story all in one interview in person.
But no one knows for sure whether it is really true. Rumor has it that the later supermodel was Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell, like GQ writes – but that is not confirmed. For Campbell and against Moss speaks that the two superstars are four years apart. In 1989 Moss would have been 15 years old – unlikely (but not impossible in 1980s London) 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 black: that’s in the Espresso Martini
As mysterious as the origin of the coffee cocktail may be, its success story is also 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 a practical four-pack. Fans of the wake-up call at the supermarket chain shell out around eight Australian dollars Asda for the deliciousness. In this country, mixed lazy people have to try Amazon to buy a ready-made espresso martini.
Of course, a self-mixed espresso martini tastes better – and it has it all. Even the original ingredients tell a politically charged story: Bradsell used it for his version 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 frowned upon to use Russian vodka for mixing. It was more respectable to bet on Polish. Bradsell chose Wyborowa because it was more balanced and pure than other spirits. In addition to the vodka, you also need martini for your espresso espresso, Kaluha, sugar syrup, Ice cubes, and the right one tool, so a measuring cup, a cocktail shaker that Martini glasses and of course one Espresso maker.
When choosing a coffee, you can rely on a classic Italian espresso, such as the Omkaffee Diamante. Seasoned espresso drinkers freshly grind the bean and cook it in the espresso maker if you don’t have one Portafilter machine call their own.
Kaluha is a well-known rum-based coffee liqueur that tastes sweet and powerful.
When choosing the sugar syrup, you should ideally rely on a neutral variety such as Le Sirup de Monin.
The preparation
- 50 ml of vodka
- 30 ml of Kaluha
- 10 ml of syrup
- espresso
- Ice cubes
The preparation is not rocket science: First, cool the martini glass with ice cubes. After that, give out loud International Bartender Association Put ice cubes in the shaker and one espresso martini each 50 milliliters (ml) of vodka, 30 ml of Kaluha, 10 ml of syrup and an espresso. Shake well and separate the liquid from the ice by decanting. 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 the ones that have cooled it. Place three coffee beans on the head and the delicacy is ready.
The “wrong” martini
The espresso martini is by no means a real martini. But it lacks the dry French vermouth. It owes its name mainly to the triangular glass in which it is often served. By the way: With Kaluha and Vodka you have almost all the ingredients for a White Russian. All that’s missing is the milk on top and you’re already enjoying the dude’s cult drink from the movie “The Big Lebowski”.
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Sources: theguardian.com, gq.co.uk, youtube.com , iba.com
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