How to make the perfect Espresso Martini (and what this taught me)
by Di Girvin
Fun Fact
The Espresso Martini cocktail was created by Dick Bradsell for a customer who allegedly asked for something that would “wake her up, and f*** her up,” hence the combination of vodka and strong espresso coffee.
If you have read how Ma’at Collective was born, you will know that it was over my favourite cocktail, an espresso martini.
Enjoying these in my favourite local bar had me wanting to learn how to make them at home, so I could enjoy one on a Friday night when I didn’t want to head out after work. After Googling the recipe, I was off to my favourite family member “Uncle Dan’s” (Dan Murphy’s) to purchase the ingredients and a cocktail shaker to make what I thought would be as good as what my local bar could make.
Friday night rolled around…
I got out all my ingredients and my cocktail shaker and set about to make my first espresso martini. Into the cocktail shaker went the ice, followed by healthy shots of vodka, Kahlua and coffee from my coffee machine, which I shook hard and then poured into my waiting cocktail glass. I carried my prized first cocktail with me up to my top floor to sit and watch the sunset while sipping away on what I thought would be the most amazing cocktail I had ever tasted.
Sitting down on my outdoor couch, I took my first sip and closed my eyes to savour the taste, only to open them very quickly, realising that what I was sipping tasted nothing like what my local bar served me! My normally favourite delicate blend of bitter coffee, slightly sweet Kahlua and a hint of alcohol, tasted just like a bitter, slightly alcoholic coffee, not what I was expecting at all. I had naively thought that I could nail the right balance on the first try!
Roll forward many months…
I can now make the most amazing espresso martini and I think I probably make it even better than what my local bar does haha. Now I know you are probably wondering what this long rambling story about cocktail-making has to do with anything, but it taught me a lot, including a valuable lesson I carried on to my business.
The reason why my cocktail failed or didn’t meet my expectations was that the balance of my ingredients was wrong and I didn’t pay attention enough to how much of each I was putting into my cocktail – something that applies to starting a small business.
With every small business, you need the right ingredients: people (employees), customers, suppliers, a support network and tools of trade. Without these, you can’t operate your business and without the right mix of these, your business will not “taste” right or meet your expectations. Too few staff and too many customers leads to a poor customer experience, too many staff and not enough customers leads to dis-engaged and bored staff – you can see how getting the right “cocktail mix” is important.
So how do you find the right mix?
This is where the art of cocktail-making really kicks in. Have you ever watched a bartender behind a bar make a cocktail? They will measure and pour each ingredient before shaking. Once they have given it that final shake, they will crack the top and grab a straw for that very important taste test to ensure they have got it just right.
This is exactly what we need to do as business owners, we need to look at each of our ingredients and measure each of them carefully. Sit down and look at how many staff you currently have versus how many customers and ask yourself realistically how many of them can each staff member effectively look after or how many do you need to be able to effectively produce your product (if you are a product-based business)? Then, look at your strategy; does the current mix meet where your strategy is going? Or is the current mix the right “flavour”? Are they the right people for your business?
Next, move onto your customers and look at each of your customer segments. Is each segment profitable? Are some customers taking more of your time than others, but not making you more money? Do your customers fit your vision of what an “ideal” customer looks like?
Get it right by writing it down
These are just some of the things to consider when looking at what the “right” cocktail mix looks like. My tip that I have learnt from cocktail-making is to start by writing down the ingredients and the amounts - this is a tip that I have translated to running my business. Write it down! By committing to paper the perfect mix, it gives you the recipe for “shaking and pouring” the most amazing business!
Cheers!
Try It Yourself
For those of you who might like to give making the real thing a go after a hard week of work, here is my go to recipe!
Ingredients
Lots and lots of Ice
1 Shot of Kahlua
1 Shot of Vodka
1 Shot of (really good) Espresso
Method Add all of ingredients to a cocktail shaker and give those biceps a workout by shaking for at least 30 seconds to get lots of amazing foam. Strain into a cocktail glass. If you want to get fancy, garnish with 3 coffee beans.