Dick Bradsell again, Soho, mid-1980s.
| 2 oz · 60 ml | VODKA | 40 % |
| ½ oz · 15 ml | COFFEE LIQUEUR | 20 % |
| 1 oz · 30 ml | ESPRESSO | |
| ¼ oz · 8 ml | SIMPLE SYRUP |
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
Variants: Tequila Espresso Martini.
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
| Pre-batch | 3.75 oz mixed with ice, 0.9 oz of it pure alcohol |
|---|---|
| Melt | Shaken: +20 % of the pre-batch, +0.75 oz of water |
| Served | 3.75 + 0.75 = 4.5 oz in the glass |
| Strength | 0.9 ÷ 4.5 = 20.0 % ABV as served |
| Ethanol | 0.9 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 21 g · about 147 kcal from the alcohol alone |
FROM ESPRESSO · the alertness molecule
A purine alkaloid that blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, so the tiredness signal never lands. Coffee, tea, cocoa, mate, guarana, kola: all unrelated plants, all evolved caffeine independently as an insecticide. Humans inherited a tolerance for what bugs can't handle.
FROM COFFEE LIQUEUR · from oak barrel aging
Bourbon's fingerprint, extracted from the charred American oak the law requires for aging. Same molecule as the vanilla bean's signature, so a well-aged bourbon legitimately tastes like vanilla. Chemistry, not metaphor. Cognac, aged rum, tequila reposado all extract vanillin from oak too. Different barrels, same molecule.
ALSO IN Old Fashioned · Manhattan · Whiskey Sour · Paper Plane · Boulevardier · Sazerac · Mai Tai · Amaretto Sour
Vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and sugar. The crown is physics, not cream. A hard shake whips air and the espresso's dissolved CO₂ into a pale collar that settles on top. Caffeine carries the bitterness; vanillin the aroma.
A young model at the Soho Brasserie reportedly asked for something that would 'wake me up and fuck me up.' Bradsell built it on the espresso machine beside his station, with vodka and coffee liqueur. Originally called the Vodka Espresso; the Martini coinage came later when V-shaped glassware caught on for shaken cocktails.
