BRCC’s Space Bear Coffee Makes a Killer Espresso Martini
Any time we hear a particular coffee drink is trending, it piques our interest. So allow us to reintroduce you to the espresso martini. This intoxicating mixture of sugar, caffeine, and alcohol once again appearing on restaurant and bar menus will have you asking, "Where have you been all my life?"
Legend has it that British bartender Dick Bradsell invented the now-iconic coffee beverage at Fred's Club in London. As Bradsell tells it, a now-famous model walked up to the bar and asked for a drink that would "wake me up and fuck me up." The bartender proceeded to mix vodka with espresso, coffee liqueur, and sugar, and the espresso martini was born.
In theory, the espresso martini is simple enough to order at your favorite bar or restaurant. Still, we quickly found that, unless your preferred establishment has a top-of-the-line espresso machine, you may have to get creative brewing your own coffee of choice. We used Black Rifle Coffee Company's Space Bear roast, Ketel One vodka, and Kahlua.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
BRCC Space Bear Roast
Neil Armstrong. Elon Musk. Space Bear. All of them are icons of the final frontier, but only one of them is a signature light roast with nutty aromas and citrus, floral, and black tea tasting notes. This Honduras Arabica is sure to launch your mornings into orbit.
While Space Bear isn't the same microlot roast originally found in the Exclusive Coffee Subscription, BRCC was able to find a similar coffee to make this icon available for everyone to enjoy.
Espresso Martini
- 2 ounces premium vodka
- 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur
- 1 ounce espresso
- 3 whole coffee beans
Shake the vodka, coffee liqueur, and espresso with ice and finely strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish the drink with three coffee beans, toast to the occasion, and enjoy.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
And although we might have preferred to use a potato vodka for this drink because of its bolder flavor, the bright acidity and floral notes in the Space Bear had our taste buds thinking we were using a much higher-end vodka, like Boyd & Blair.
Finally, you might be wondering, "What's the deal with the three floating beans?" The floating of three beans comes from the traditional serving of sambuca in Italy, where the three beans are called con la mosca, meaning "on the fly," representing health, wealth, and happiness.
BRCC Space Bear roast is available now in ground and whole bean on the official Black Rifle Coffee Company website.
This article first appeared in the July 2, 2021, coffee vertical of Coffee or Die Magazine.
