The Espresso Martini Kit

Whether it’s a post-work pick-me-up or a pre-party punch-in-the-face you’re after, this kit gives you the freedom to shake up just the espresso hit you need.

The Espresso Martini has a history significantly shorter than the night it’ll give you. It was created in the early 80s when a model entered a bar requesting a drink that would “wake me up”. She also requested that it “f**k me up”, but that’s by-the-by... Its creator, legendary London mixologist, Dick Bradsell, carried the result (vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar syrup) through his career, evolving its name from Vodka Espresso to Pharmaceutical Stimulant to Espresso Martini. While Pharmaceutical Stimulant didn’t catch on, this cocktail’s smooth, indulgent balance of bitter brew and emboldening booze has established itself as a classic.

Tired of underwhelming examples, we asked Alessandro Palazzi (Bar Manager of Dukes Hotel) to create an Espresso Martini that hit the Sociovino standards – an Espresso Martini that brings together our punchiest producers, By The Dutch and Villa Zarri, to create a cocktail that will most certainly wake you up (and f**k you up if you so wish…but not before you’ve come crawling back for some more bottles).

Distilled within the walls of Emilia Romagna’s classically inspired Villa Zarri, coffee brandy is just one of this kit’s secret weapons. Made from a Trebbiano grape brandy that’s aged for 6 years in an oak barrel, it’s infused for several days with three exceptional-quality coffees. A touch of sugar adds balance to its bitterness – think coffee meets toffee, warm spice and coconut milk. To this we add a white Indonesian Rum from By The Dutch, a sugar-cane molasses distillate produced exclusively on the island of Java. Using a wild yeast fermentation process, this rum combines salinity with flavours of clove, allspice, vanilla, soft caramel and exotic fruit. By The Dutch provides the final twist - orange bitters - adding a powerful finish of orange peel, cardamom and nutmeg.

Call the idea of a memorable Espresso Martini a myth, call it a legend - we just call it a Martini because memories are what we’re here to make.