Sips & Synopsis

• This Weeks Makings

• Trivia Question

• Drink of the Week - Espresso Martini

• The Perfect Foam Guide

• Bonus Cocktails

• Mocktail Moment - Espresso Foam

This Weeks Makings.

Some nights end at dinner. Others stretch on for hours.

This week is about the second kind.

Late spring means longer evenings, dinner parties that linger, and conversations that refuse to wind down. The right cocktail does the same.

I came back to an old favorite this week. Foamy, dark, a little dramatic.

It's the Espresso Martini, refreshed and ready for the start of summer.

In this issue:

• A Drink of the Week that turns dessert into a second act

• The secret to that signature foam on top, no egg required

• Two bonus cocktails for guests who want depth without the caffeine

• A trivia question about how this drink got its name

• A mocktail that holds its own at the end of the night

Trivia Question ❓

Fill in the blank: The Espresso Martini was invented in 1983 by London bartender ____ ____, who built it for a model asking for something to wake her up.

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Espresso Martini

Coffee, vodka, and a foam that says the night is just starting.

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka

• 1 oz fresh espresso, cooled slightly

• 0.75 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlua or similar)

• 0.5 oz simple syrup

• 3 coffee beans to garnish

Directions

1. Add vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice

2. Shake hard for at least 20 seconds (this is where the foam comes from)

3. Double strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass

4. Float three coffee beans on top to garnish

Why It Works

Espresso brings the bitterness. Coffee liqueur brings the sweetness. Vodka steps back and lets the coffee shine. The hard shake whips everything into that signature foam that makes the drink feel like a dessert and a wake-up call at once.

Behind the Bar - Building the Perfect Foam

The foam on an Espresso Martini is the whole personality of the drink.

Pour without that fluffy top and it tastes like iced coffee with vodka. Pour with it and the drink feels like a moment.

Here is how to get it right every time.

• Use fresh espresso. Sitting espresso loses crema, and crema is the foam first ingredient.

• Shake harder than you think you need to. Twenty seconds, full force, all wrists.

• Use cold ingredients and very cold ice. Warm anything will melt your foam before it builds.

• Double strain. The crema lifts above the ice when you pour through a fine strainer.

A few tools that make foam-forward cocktails easier at home:

• A pair of chilled coupe glasses

• A fine-mesh double strainer

• A heavy two-piece shaker that locks tight

Foam is what separates a great Espresso Martini from a forgettable one. Treat it like the headline.

Bonus Cocktails

Sidecar

The cognac classic that still feels timeless.

Ingredients

• 2 oz cognac (or brandy)

• 0.75 oz Cointreau

• 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

• Sugar for the rim

• Lemon twist to garnish

Directions

Rim a chilled coupe with sugar. Shake cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice with ice until cold. Strain into the prepared coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Why it works

Cognac brings warmth and depth. Citrus keeps it bright. The sugared rim is the elegant flourish that turns a simple sour into something dressed for dinner.

Penicillin

Smoky, honeyed, and built for the end of the night.

Ingredients

• 2 oz blended Scotch whisky

• 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

• 0.75 oz honey-ginger syrup

• 0.25 oz peated Scotch to float on top

• Candied ginger to garnish

Directions

Shake blended Scotch, lemon juice, and honey-ginger syrup with ice. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Carefully float the peated Scotch on top. Garnish with candied ginger.

Why it works

The smoky float hits your nose first. Then the honey-ginger sweetness lands. Then the lemon brightens it back up. Three sips, three different cocktails, all in the same glass.

Mocktail or Zero Proof Option

Espresso Foam

All the drama. None of the proof.

Ingredients

• 2 oz fresh espresso, cooled slightly

• 1 oz oat milk (or any rich milk)

• 0.5 oz maple syrup

• A pinch of sea salt

• 3 coffee beans to garnish

Directions

Add everything to a shaker with ice. Shake hard for at least 20 seconds, just like the original. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Float three coffee beans on top.