Around 1983, at the Soho Brasserie in London, bartender Dick Bradsell was asked by an American model for a drink that would wake her up and get her drunk at the same time. He never named her. Marie Helvin remains a plausible guess, while later claims about Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss collapse on the timeline, since both were far too young. Bradsell’s own account is practical rather than romantic: his station sat next to a messy espresso machine that scattered grounds over his workspace, and vodka was the dominant spirit of the decade. The result, once known as the vodka espresso, contains no gin and no vermouth, so it is a martini in name and glassware only.

The International Bartenders Association now codifies it as 50 ml vodka, 30 ml coffee liqueur such as Kahlua or Tia Maria, and one strong fresh espresso, shaken with ice, strained, served straight up, and topped with exactly three coffee beans. Hot espresso matters, because the temperature shock and hard shaking emulsify the coffee oils into the dense foam that holds the garnish. A 2020s surge in popularity put the drink on menus everywhere and left many bartenders dreading orders that pull them away from the bar to the espresso machine.

• Difford’s Guide calls for 1.5 US fluid ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of hot espresso, and two-thirds of an ounce of coffee liqueur.
• Gently stirring cold brew with vodka would leave the oils unemulsified and the drink flat.
• A twist of lemon zest can join or replace the beans, cutting the liqueur’s sweetness.
• Modern spinoffs include a chocolate orange version with Cointreau and a toasted marshmallow version.
• Greece’s freddo espresso and Italy’s shakerato rely on the same shaken espresso and ice principle.