In search of Worcester’s best espresso martinis
Your espresso martini has a message for you, conveyed in the form of three coffee beans, floating like miniature brown barges on top of that calm sea of creamy foam.
The bartender leaves them as a garnish — sometimes with a dusting of cocoa powder — and a toast to your health, wealth and happiness.
You could write this off as a platitude. But, after a couple of weeks visiting a half-dozen Worcester restaurants and bars to taste and study their espresso martinis, I’ve started to embrace this well-wish as substantive, and take seriously so much of the fluff that surrounds the sometimes sweet, always caffeinated cocktail of the moment.
Contrary to what you may believe, the espresso martini can vary from place to place, just like the people who order it. And some of the espresso martinis had a knack for capturing the spot’s vibe, reflecting it back in myriad ways, from the ingredients to the look: The fun, casual ‘Olo Pizza offered a sweet treat of a martini; the experimental Chashu Ramen + Izakaya mixed up a polished, unorthodox version.
The six espresso martinis I will suggest you try during your next night out possess differences both subtle and marked. A few of the martinis shined more as nightcaps — whether in the middle of a mascarpone-filled zeppole at ‘Olo or a pulsating dance floor at Valentinos. Some surprised me by being either deceptively simple, following closely the original 1983 recipe, or wonderfully complex, recreating the drink or layering in new flavors.
Every espresso martini worth trying must have some sort of freshly
brewed coffee component, this much most agreed on. Fresh coffee provides more robust and interesting flavors than anything else, and the cocktail needs bitterness to balance its sweeter elements.
Arguably everything from there can be tweaked or added, such as the creams, liqueurs, bitters or syrups, even the glass the bartender serves the martini in (all of mine came in an elegant coupe).
This coffee and spirit-fueled journey began with bartender Chris Mroczkowski resetting my expectations for how the espresso martini could taste. Chashu Ramen’s espresso martini alters the cocktail, first created in London, in at least one distinct way, using a reposado tequila instead of vodka.
The espresso martini redux
Chashu Ramen’s “Kohi Martini,” using the Japanese word for coffee, starts with a pinch of salt and a dash of orange bitters. The salt enhances and brings together the cocktail’s components, in the same way it brings out the flavors in cooking. And coffee and orange play well together.
“Orange goes really nicely with coffee,” Chris Mroczkowski, a bartender at Chashu Ramen, told me while preparing my martini. “The citrus works well with the dark roasty flavors of the coffee — think of a chocolate-covered orange.”
Mroczkowski incorporated bit of cold brew concentrate and coffee liqueur. He reached for the Australian-made Mr Black, my favorite for its rich, balanced taste. Often, espresso martinis call for Kahlúa, but I find the rum-based liqueur too sweet.
Chashu Ramen opts for an aged tequila over vodka, enjoying how the agave spirit’s sweet and smoky notes mesh with the coffee.
The tried-and-true espresso martini
Most nights, Valentinos on Shrewsbury Street will see over 20 orders for its classic espresso martini, its best-selling cocktail. The popularity of the drink at the bar prompted Valentinos to install a dedicated draft line for the vanilla vodka, espresso vodka and Kahlúa mix, making it easier for bartenders to prepare the martinis when the orders pile up.
“We do serve it in a martini glass, but after 9 p.m., when the DJ comes in, we’ll pour it into a pint glass,” said the manager, Bruno Da Silva. “It’s easier if you’re going to be on the dance floor moving around.”
Valentinos has one well-worn espresso machine, with one portafilter, that every day it uses to brew up the espresso for its martinis. Its recipe then calls for a maple crème liqueur — a respectable substitute for Baileys Irish Cream — shaken together with the premixed spirits poured from the tap.
Boozy and creamy, Valentinos espresso martini has flavors of maple cookie and vanilla cream, with just the slightest bite of bitterness.
You could easily complete an espresso martini-focused bar crawl on Shrewsbury Street.
Nearby, All Systems Go brings in the crowds not to dance, but to game. The E-Sports facility hides one of the best espresso martinis in the city at its neonlit Energy Bar.
Brewing up a shot of espresso for each martini, All Systems Go manages to create a perfect version of the original. Watch as the bartender pours the rich, tan cream of a martini into your coupe, then carefully places the three beans. The first sip comes through with the texture of a whipped coffee.
Of all places, Wormtown Brewery has a chocolate-forward espresso martini that uses its own vodka and coffee liqueur, distilled through a partnership with Boston Harbor Distillery. The brewery, which debuted its distillery last year, has an affogato version in the works, which will call for a vanilla beaninfused version of its Vernon Hill Vodka.
The espresso martini – for dessert
Cozy up to Mare E Monti’s bar on Wall Street for a dessert of its Roma Martini, likely the sweetest of the six I’ve tried. The additions of Frangelico, an Italian hazelnut liqueur, Butterscotch Schnapps and Baileys Irish Cream result in an indulgent take on the espresso martini.
After several slices of a charred, chewy sausage peso pizza at ‘Olo Pizza Neapolitan Pie Co., 40 Millbrook St., the only dessert I had room for was one in liquid form. The secret to ‘Olo’s Nutellathemed espresso martini is St. Elder Hazelnut liqueur, which when mixed with vanilla vodka and triple chocolate liqueur creates a drinkable lobster claw filled with hazelnut crème.
Sitting at the bar with a belly full of pizza and a coupe filled with espresso martini, I thought of something Mroczkowski, Chashu Ramen’s bartender, said about cocktails.
“You don’t just pay attention to one factor about the drink: It’s the whole experience,” he said.