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If you love cocktails and you spend some time perusing drink menus , you may have noticed more restaurants offering the Espresso Martini and more people drinking them . Research firm CGA by NeilsenIQ recently ranked the Espresso Martini among the top 10 most-ordered cocktails in the U . S . There ’ s even a dedicated Espresso Martini Day , which is March 15 .

It ’ s not a new cocktail , however . British bartender Dick Bradsell invented the Espresso Martini in London in the early 1980s . Accounts vary a bit , but reportedly a supermodel requested a drink that would both wake her up and get her drunk .

Bradsell used ingredients he had on hand — fresh espresso , coffee liqueur , vodka and sugar — to create something he called the Vodka Espresso . It underwent a few name changes and tweaks over the years before becoming the Espresso Martini .

The cocktail ’ s popularity in the U . S . has been up and down in the past 40 years , and it ’ s not clear why it ’ s so hot right now . Social media likely has something to do with it : the drink ’ s elegant look — served in a sleek glass with a frothy head garnished with three coffee beans — is Instagram-ready . It ’ s delicious and slightly decadent , not to mention caffeinated .

Espresso Martinis currently sell like hotcakes , much to the chagrin of some bartenders . Like the Mojito , Espresso Martinis are a bit more labor-intensive than the average cocktail , plus when one customer orders one , everybody seems to want one .

To help bars streamline the process , vodka brand Ketel One recently launched an Espresso Martini machine . The machine serves Espresso Martini at volume with both quality and consistency , the company says , and it ’ s currently in use in 300 cocktail bars , restaurants and other entertainment venues across the country .

When making them at home , you can ’ t go wrong with the classic recipe , but bartenders have created numerous variations on the Espresso Martini . Here are a few that we like .

MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST

MEDUSA ESPRESSOTINI

1 ½ oz . Stoli Vanilla vodka 1 oz . Kahlua 1 oz . Espresso ½ oz . Bailey ’ s Irish Cream liqueur

Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake . Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with three coffee beans .

The mixologists at Avra Miami created this recipe .

MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST

½ oz . Belvedere vodka ½ oz . Cocoa Puffs-infused Uncle Nearest whiskey ¼ oz . Svol aquavit ¾ oz . Caffe Borghetti coffee liqueur ¾ oz . Cold brew

Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake . Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with Cocoa Puffs cereal .

Erin Davey , corporate beverage manager for Silver Lining at the Moxy Lower East Side Hotel in New York , created this recipe .

STRANGE BREW

1 oz . Tequila 1 oz . Mr . Black Amaro liqueur 1 oz . Chilled coffee ½ oz . Coffee cordial * ¼ oz . Oloroso sherry Pinch salt Dash Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients in a mixing tin and shake . Strain into a coupe glass . Grate fresh nutmeg over top .

* For Coffee cordial : Combine equal parts sugar to hot coffee . Add ½ oz . vanilla liqueur to taste

Adam Morgan , bar manager at Husk Nashville , created this recipe .

STRANGE BREW

MEDUSA ESPRESSOTINI

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