Espresso Martini is a vodka and coffee cocktail created in the 1980s by the British bartender Dick Bradsell that remains one of the most popular and widely recognized classics of modern times. While not technically a Martini, it is a variation for which even purists will often make an exception.
The original recipe was created by Bradsell at London’s Soho Brasserie in 1983 for a famous model who asked for something to “wake me up and then fuck me up” (Bradsell has never disclosed who the model was). The choice of coffee was inspired by the fact that the restaurant had recently installed an Illy espresso machine next to the bar.
The recipe has had several incarnations in its lifetime. The latter-day Espresso Martini is typically served “up,” but it was originally served on the rocks, when it was known as the Vodka Espresso. This recipe subsequently evolved into the Pharmaceutical Stimulant during Bradsell’s time behind the bar at the Pharmacy in Notting Hill. It was only when Bradsell opened Match EC1 with Jonathan Downey in 1997 that he reworked, and renamed, the drink a third time to create the Espresso Martini, which became a mainstay of cocktail lists around the world.
Recipe: Combine 50 ml vodka, 25 ml of very strong espresso, 15 ml Kahlua, 10 ml Tia Maria, and 5 ml sugar syrup (2:1 formula), shake hard with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with three coffee beans.
See also Bradsell, Dick; and Downey, Jonathan.
“Our Favourite Bartenders: Dick Bradsell.” The Cocktail Lovers, November 11, 2013. www.thecocktaillovers.com. https://thecocktaillovers.com/our-favourite-bartenders-dick-bradsell/ (accessed March 3, 2021).
By: Alice Lascelles