“Being conclusive can, at sometimes, be somewhat difficult,” says a handwritten notation from legendary British bartender Dick Bradsell, included in the 2022 book Dicktales or Thank Yous and Sluggings, as he introduces the story of the genesis of the Espresso Martini at London’s Soho Brasserie in 1983. The story goes, surrounded by coffee grounds leaking into his well after a coffee training, a young woman later identified as an American model by one of his friends (no one knows for sure which one, though rumors abound) approached Bradsell and famously said, “Give me a drink that will wake me up, then f*** me up.”
What he presented was first referred to as the “Vodka Espresso” and contained the backbone ingredients of what came later — vodka, Kahlúa, dash of sugar, “extra, extra strong” espresso — shaken and served on the rocks.
It was sometime afterward, at London’s Match EC1, that the now ubiquitous variation known as the Espresso Martini (sometimes called “Pharmaceutical Stimulant”) was developed to be served up. Bradsell, who died in 2015, notes in the posthumously published Dicktales that this version was formulated during a period when almost any mixed cocktail was called a “Martini.” He says he used the original Brandy Alexander ratio to develop the final recipe, this time with the signature three-coffee-bean garnish. The modern standard tweak came about at his final bar, the Pink Chihuahua, when a customer requested it “her way,” with more liqueur, sans sugar syrup, and it stuck.
Espresso Martinis are one of the most shaken up and wildly interpreted recipes on the planet, taking all forms, including clarified variations, ready-to-drink (RTD) versions, and even chocolate truffles and jellybeans. Speaking of the buzzy rush from sipping them, Bradsell writes, “Moderation . . . These espresso + alcohol things are dangerous . . . Oh yeah. That’s why I invented it.”
- Shake all ingredients (including the sugar, if desired) with ice until well chilled and very frothy.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or Martini glass.
- Garnish with coffee beans set in the foam.
Recipe extracted from Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster, published by Phaidon. $80, out on September 26.
