Welcome back, friends - it's Anders.
Today's video is sponsored by Mr. Black.
I've seen this all over the place on numerous channels, and it finally has reached this channel.
And so today I am making an Espresso Martini - two ways!
One is, well, how I used to make it at the bar. And people loved it.
They never sent it back - that's a good sign.
And the second is how I've come to enjoy it.
Which is clearly a little different. Both are outstanding.
If you're new to the channel, hit that subscribe button for more sips, tips, and recipes.
And let's go make the Espresso Martini.
To the bar.
[intro music]
Quick bit of history about the Espresso Martini.
This drink is credited to Dick Bradsell, who created this in the 1980s.
He also created the Bramble, so he had a lot of street cred - I guess you could say.
Two things I want to talk about here. One is the name Espresso Martini,
and the other is the origin story.
Which is actually a fascinating story. I don't know how true it is.
The story of how this drink came to be was that Dick Bradsell was working at a bar,
and a model came in who allegedly later became world famous. And there are a lot of theories who this model was.
I don't even know if there was a real model.
And they ordered a drink that would, quote,
"Wake me up, and [bleep] me up"
That's the story. It's kind of a rock star story, and I think that really helped sell the cocktail.
I think it was good to have a nice origin story. I don't know if it was true or not.
The thing about the name Espresso Martini - Dick Bradsell never wanted to call it an Espresso Martini
because there is really nothing about this drink that is martini-esque -
other than he served it in a martini glass.
And as so many people know, in the late 80s, 90s - sometime in that era -
any drink served in a martini glass was called a Martini.
There was a whole arsenal of Martini imposters.
You had the Appletini, Chocolate Martini, Watermelon Martini, Lemon Drop Martini.
Yeah, in fact you'd go into a place and they would have a Martini list.
Which is kind of funny if you think about it. It would just be one cocktail if you were a purist.
Anyway, Dick wanted to call this Vodka Espresso - which is what it was.
Then he took a job at a different bar and he changed the name of that very same drink to the Pharmaceutical Stimulant.
Which is kind of an exciting name, but it sounds a little too medical.
Maybe that's what he was thinking, because he changed it back to Vodka Espresso.
Well that name didn't stick either, and it was the public who called it Espresso Martini.
But it sure worked for the drink, because at that time everybody was ordering everything as a Martini.
And then on top of that, it has a rock star origin story. It was - uh - it's good marketing.
And where it really just lasted, and apparently is the most ordered cocktail,
is in Australia - where Mr. Black is made.
Is that a natural enough segue for you?
Yeah?
Mr. Black. These guys roast their own coffee beans.
They're coffee roasters! But don't worry, they're also distillers.
They use 100% arabica beans - top of the line stuff. Best beans you can get.
And when they make this, they use cold brew coffee,
so it's got good, strong coffee flavor, and they don't have to add any sort of artificial flavoring.
Over the years, working behind a bar, you end up tasting all kinds of coffee liqueurs.
And for the most part, they're all really sweet. In fact, I found them personally a little difficult to work with.
This tastes like coffee. And it has a touch of sweetness - because it is still a liqueur,
but it's just a little bit of sugar that's added to it. It's like drinking coffee - but booze.
By the way, if you go to their website and use the code "ANDERS10"
you will get 10% off your purchase.
All right - for this cocktail we are gonna want Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur,
vodka,
a rich Demerara syrup,
lemon,
and espresso. Which is what this guy's for.
This is not the world's fanciest espresso machine.
If you want, you can support your local cafe, buy an espresso to go.
Maybe a double espresso so you have enough.
Put your glassware in the freezer - get a nice chill on it, and we can go ahead and build this drink.
I'm gonna start by making an espresso, and then I will quickly build the cocktail.
Ooh la la!
This is one ounce. Now I'm going to set this off to the side just to let it cool down a little bit.
Into the shaking tin, we can add one ounce of the Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur,
one ounce of vodka,
toss in one ounce of fresh espresso,
quarter of an ounce of a rich Demerara syrup,
and then the zest of one swath of lemon.
Now this is a Jeffrey Morgenthaler move, and I think it's really good.
So just express the lemon oil right into the cocktail.
I'm gonna throw this out. That'll just impart more bitterness,
but the oils in there are gonna really liven everything up.
Now we can add ice and shake. Now you're going to want to shake this really hard.
Add a lot of air, really agitate all the ingredients, and we're going to get a nice foamy top.
So about 10 to 15 seconds - shake it hard. Grab your chilled cocktail glass and double strain.
Be patient - it's worth it.
I like to express a little bit more lemon oil over the top just to keep it bright.
Hit the sides.
And the traditional garnish - three coffee beans. I'm using my fat fingers.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Espresso Martini.
Cheers!
Mmm
That's a treat. Love it with the Demerara.
The Demerara sugar in this adds a touch of toffee flavor which goes really well with the coffee.
The lemon keeps it bright, you get this bold coffee up front from the Mr. Black,
and then it's a nice clean finish.
Now I'm gonna make it quickly a second way, which is very similar, but I love drinking it this way.
And that is swapping out the vodka for cognac.
Go through all the motions again.
One ounce of Mr. Black, one ounce of cognac, one ounce of espresso,
quarter of an ounce of a rich Demerara syrup,
and one zest of lemon. Add ice and shake.
Double strain into the chilled glass. Lemon oil over the top.
Espresso Martini 2.0.
Cheers!
Coffee and cognac are an amazing combination. You still get the coffee up front.
It just extends the cocktail a little longer. Both are outstanding.
Personally, I would lean towards the cognac.
I just think it offers a little bit more depth in flavor, but I would recommend trying both of them.
Be sure to check out Mr. Black on all their socials: Instagram, YouTube, of course their website.
I'll leave all the links down below, and use the code "ANDERS10" to get all the savings.
Thank you, Mr. Black. Thank you to you, the viewer - you. You guys are great. I'll see you next time.
Cheers!
That's real good.
mmm, MMM!
[laughter]
It's real good.
[laughter]
Get your cocktails! Get your coffee!
[hyper gobbling sound]
[music fades]