The espresso martini reemerged five years ago and suddenly was everywhere. At first it seemed like a fad—another relic of the ’90s spiking in popularity like baggy jeans and crop tops. Wasn’t it really just one more rendition of the vodka-Redbull, gussied up for a post-pandemic party boom? Plu s, many bartenders seemed to begrudge the drink, especially if they were pulling individual espresso shots to order. Flash-forward through multiple trend cycles and the espresso martini is still here. It remains one of the most popular cocktails on countless restaurant and bar menus, and it helped kick off a broader martini craze. Is it time to admit this once-outdated drink has finally reached the classic status of margaritas and old-fashioneds? The Terence Espresso Martini at Nina May. Photograph courtesy Nina May. “There came a point where I was just like, ‘Oh, I guess that this is just the new normal,’ ” says JP Sabatier, co-owner of the cocktail bars Jane Jane and Bar Betsie. The espresso martini is one of the bestselling cocktails at Jane Jane—and it’s not even on the menu. Meanwhile, the Commodore near Dupont Circle was going through so many espresso martinis that the neighborhood pub made it the only cocktail on draft. “On a Saturday night, I would say a solid 30 percent of the glasses I’m clearing off the tables are glasses that just had an espresso martini in them,” says co-owner Rob Van de Graaff. “I’m just surprised that what we all thought was going to be a bad drink has stuck around this long.” Both bar owners credit the double buzz of caffeine and alcohol for the drink’s staying power. It has particular appeal with millennials, known as the heaviest-drinking generation, as they reach middle age and look for a pick-me-up on a night out. Van de Graaff also sees a DC-specific allure: “We’re a city where people might pop out to the bar for a minute, meet up with some people, and go back into the office. So maybe you want a drink that has some caffeine.” The global popularity of the espresso martini has given rise to an explosion of new coffee-liqueur brands, says Radovan Jankovic, a partner in Cana, Mercy Me, and La’ Shukran. It also opened the door for bartenders to experiment with new coffee cocktails, such as one made with mezcal, rum, and carob molasses at La’ Shukran. Plus, the espresso martini itself has become far from a cookie-cutter recipe, with each bar offering its own take. Jankovic’s version at Mercy Me incorporates butter, while Cana’s Brazilian rendition uses cachaça and coconut. Even the skeptical Van de Graaff has come to embrace the drink—his own riff uses chicory and chili liqueurs. “There’s only one cocktail that you can really judge a person for wanting to drink,” he says, “and that’s a Long Island iced tea.” Related 8 Super-Charged Espresso Martinis to Sip Around DC The post The Espresso Martini Is Here to Stay first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less