The Espresso Martini: Where energy drinks and alcohol come together

Do your customers enjoy the caffeine-and-alcohol buzz of a Red Bull & vodka and similar mixed drinks? Well, they might also like to class it up a bit with the increasingly trendy Espresso Martini. Generally made with espresso, coffee liqueur, and vodka, this one-two-punch of a cocktail expanded in popularity during to pandemic — a revival from its inception dating to the late 1980s.

Its relatively newfound popularity might be part of consumers’ interest in sampling the food & drink of bygone eras, but it also ties into the growing popularity of energy drinks.

Also, as a growing number younger bargoers are interested in spirit-free drinks, non-alcoholic versions of the Espresso Martini, usually made with spirit-free alcohol substitutes as well as espresso, are surging in popularity too.

Market research firm Datassential reports that Espresso Martinis are found on 5% of U.S. menus, up 164% over the past four years.

Click through the gallery to learn more about this Flavor of the Week and see how one restaurant is using espresso martinis on its menu.