Here is why a martini espresso is garnished with 3 coffee beans

From chic cocktail bars to bone nights in pants, the Martini Expresso is a timeless and perpetually fashionable Tipple. This concoction is coupled with a liquid dessert, offering a caffeinated flavor shock in a glass of fantasy. And just as a classic Martini would be nothing without its olive, a real Martini Expresso requires a garnish of three espresso beans. Neither more nor less! Believe it or not, this three -actions rule is not arbitrary or simply the preference of an individual bartender – there is a very distinct reason.

So what is this reason and what is the story behind these magic beans? Reader digest I did research (delicious) and spoke with a mixologist to get the meager on this fashionable drink. Read the rest for secret symbolism in your Martini Expresso.

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What is the origin of Martini Expresso?

The original story of Martini Expresso is as intriguing as the drink itself. He was invented by the bartender Dick Bradsell at the London Soho Brasserie in the mid -1980s, shortly after the restaurant installed a brand new copy -at -technology machine. As Bradsell’s daughter writes, Bea Bradsell, on the bartender site Class“A young model (without name) entered the bar and asked for a drink to” wake her up and spoil her “.”

With the coffee machine ideally located next to its station, Dick added a fresh espresso, vodka and coffee liquor to its cocktail shaker. The first iteration of the drink, which he called an “vodka espresso”, was served on ice in a rocky glass. But as the 80s gave way to the 90s and the flavored Martinis became fashionable, he made some adjustments that have raised his signature recipe in the emblematic Martini to the Espresso that we know today. And now you know for your next trivial evening!

What is in an espresso martini?

Justin Puk / 500px / Getty images

While variations abound today, the original ingredients of Bradsell’s Espresso Martini – Cooffee, Vodka and Coffee Liqueur – are quite consistent. And then there are the three beans, to which we will arrive in a minute.

But first, a little more on the drink itself. According to Bob Simko, Executive Mixologist from R. Bar in Baltimore, a well -made Martini Expresso should have “a balanced flavor of sweetness and bitterness”. Its Martini Expresso uses flavored vodkas, with Expresso vodka adding additional kick and vodka to vanilla completes its corners. The coffee liquor adds sweetness and coffee notes, and cold espresso offers this crucial robust coffee flavor and gives this drink shaken its signature frothy.

Once the drink is poured into a glass in Martini, your barman will gently place three coffee beans in the center to float at the top of the sparkling cocktail.

Why is an espresso martini lined with three coffee beans?

These coffee beans are not only for the aesthetic appeal – they have a symbolic meaning rooted in Italian culture. “Traditionally, a Martini Expresso is garnished with three coffee beans to symbolize health, wealth and happiness,” explains Simko. And this is certainly something that we can drink – and even use as toast!

According to Bea Bradsell, his father stole the idea of ​​the Italian tradition of putting three coffee beans in Sambuca. The origins of this tradition are vague, but people suspect that it has evolved from the sacred character of number three, that Italian Catholics associate with the Holy Trinity. But although these three beans represent good things, you don’t need to ingest them to enjoy their karmic advantages – or do the “good” thing by your cocktail. Many people eat the Sambuca beans, but Simko says that the express-martini garnish is just for the show. So, unless you don’t particularly like chewing them, you can let them sit on the bottom of the glass after finishing drinking your Martini.

What are the other garnishes for Martinis coffee?

While the three coffee beans are a conventional garnish, barmans and house mixologists do not need to be married to tradition. Simko occasionally obtains requests from epresso Martinis stacked with whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate syrup, which transforms the cocktail into a drink more worthy of dessert. Another option? The addition of a little pistachio liquor “, who says Simko, gives him a” nice touch of hazelnut “.

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Sources:

• Bob Simko, executive mixologist at R. Bar in Baltimore; Interviewed, April 7, 2025
• Class: “Bea Bradsell on the real story of Martini Expresso”
• Tasting board: “Why Sambuca is garnished with 3 coffee beans in Italy”