The place for cocktails in Lincoln.
I ordered an espresso martini.
Not long there, when a loud bang, a car had run into the people sat outside.. Broken glass, luckily no one seriously injured, protected by the barrier. No driver. The car had rolled down the slope. A few minutes later driver and passenger appeared. It was explained what had happened, they were asked to leave contact details and insurance, They got into their car and drove off. The police attended the scene.
It is better to have a couple of signature cocktails, Olé Olé has two, well executed, than dozens of badly made cocktails (or even worse gimmicks).
I was curious their signature coconut espresso martini. They offered to make one, and talk me through it.
– Tia Maria cold brew coffee liqueur
– Monin coconut syrup
– vodka
– two shots of espresso
– simple sugar syrup
– ice
Shaken not stirred. Double strained Served with ice.
I would have used craft vodka and agave syrup (adjusted to account for sweeter).
Not fresh shots of espresso. Made earlier and chilled.
Served in an ice cold glass with ice, not in a coupe or martini glass. Served with two straws.
More ice when shaking, and larger ice cubes. Drops the temperature fast.
Too late for a coffee at 200 Degrees. Thought I would try 3 Joes, then changed my mind and asked for an espresso martini.
Made with Kuala, the original classic. Sweet and creamy, it lacked the edge of Tia Maria.
Served ice cold. The waitress cum barmaid, used a lot of ice, more than I would have used, used ice to chill the glass.
She did a better job than most bars would do.
Krema was closed. Why are they closing at four, it is not winter?
I decided on a coffee at Tattams. Not very good.
Stayed chatting to an attractive blonde. When her friend turned up and the two of them left, I stayed and had an espresso martini.
I was curious. They were using quality ingredients.
Everywhere does cocktails. No expertise. Cheap ingredients, high margins.
Classic espresso martini using Mr Black.
That was the only reason I stayed, espresso using Mr Black, not a cheap coffee liquor.
I can’t recall the vodka.
What I did not like, the fancy glass. Simple is elegance. Contrast with the coupe glass used at Notes.
Expensive, £10-50.
Downside, Mr Black has been acquired by a conglomerate. Not good news.
I have passed by The Curiosity Shop at the top end of Lincoln High Street, but never passed through the door. Closing in two days time on Saturday. It was Thursday, two days before it closed, and it was raining, I thought I would take a look inside.
A cocktail bar, the interior belies the frontage.
An espresso martini. How made, espresso?
OK I will have one, and the barman kindly talked me through.
Slightly baffled, no sign of an espresso machine.
A bottle is produced. Contents? Espresso.
Freshly made this morning. It is late afternoon. I am horrified.
A bottle of vodka. Absolut Vanilla. Vanilla flavoured cheap vodka. Yuk.
Coffee liquor. Mr Black? No, far too expensive.
Champagne coupe. Not chilled. No ice.
A good job of shaking.
Injury. £7-50. Ouch.
The taste? Overpowering flavour of vanilla. It was not good.
A sign outside said coffee, though no sign of an espresso machine. The coffee, I do not know, did not ask, but if poor quality coffee, would explain the vanilla flavoured vodka to mask the taste of poor quality coffee, cf syrups in greasy spoon cafes and corporate coffee chains, or chocolate dumped on a cappuccino for the same reason, to hide the bad state of bad coffee.
Grind warn of the experience of poor quality espresso martini. That was my experience of The Curiosity Shop.
We’d had Espresso Martinis before they’re a classic but back then we didn’t realize how many corners were being cut in making them, even in the best places. You see, keeping a proper coffee machine clean and running is a lot of work, and even with the best intentions, standards can slip. After Espresso Martinis were invented in the ’90s, bars first tried using bottled espresso – a pretty miserable fate for coffee. Before long, all sorts of grisly concoctions of E-number flavourings and preservatives were being used. So by the time 2011 came around, even the places we had trusted for a good drink were serving something a far throw from what we imagine genius bartender Dick Bradsell had invented all those years ago. But we didn’t know any of that yet.
The barman was helpful, explained what he was doing, and then wrote out his recipe.
He may have added a little sugar syrup, though Kahlúa coffee liquor is sweet and sugar syrup not necessary (unless again trying to mask bad coffee).
When he created an espresso martini, Dick Bradsell used Kahlúa but that was what was available, the world has moved on, would use Mr Black or a liquor of similar quality.
Note difference in price on Amazon 70 cl
Contrast with The Grind espresso martini as served in their coffee shops and featured in the Grind book.
I have changed sugar syrup to agave syrup.
A couple of days layer, Saturday afternoon, last day, they have to be out by Thursday.
I was going to inquire of the Steampunk paraphernalia in the window, but sadly the windows already stripped. As I walked in I noticed an espresso machine tucked around the corner. Very busy, noisy, but not packed. More staff, who were wearing facemasks. I asked of the coffee. Stokes, a local roastery. It could have been worse, Lincoln Tea and Coffee, vile undrinkable coffee, black oily over-roasted broken beans or catering supply coffee. Did I wish for a coffee? No thanks. I then left and walked down to Madame Waffle for a coffee, as I did two days before.
My third attempt, second if discount improvised shaker using e-coffee cup.
The Grind espresso martini as served in their coffee shops and featured in the Grind book.
This I have modified using agave syrup for the sugar syrup.
A subtle change. Pour from large shaking tin into small tin. Then into glass.
Method used by cocktail maestro Stasi Apostolou at The Third Room.
I may have also marginally improved my use of cocktail shaker.
The Grind espresso martini served at Grind and featured in the Grind book.
I am not impressed by the Grind house blend as espresso, but works well in espresso martini.
The closest I have come to the espresso martini made for me by cocktail maestro Stasi Apostolou at The Third Room. I filmed the making of, but stupid me neglected to hit record.
Note: For the pedantic, yes I know extraction from a Grind capsule using an Opal One is not an espresso but it is a good approximation to make an espresso martini.
Amos Owens moonshine a very smooth vodka. Batch 1 bottle 233.
Espresso martini create by Dick Bradsell in the late 1980s.
My first attempt at espresso martini was an improvisation using an e-coffee cup in lieu of a cocktail shaker. Not a great success.
This my first real attempt with a two-piece Boston shaker and a Hawthorne strainer.
The Grind espresso martini
I have modified that from Grind, substituting agave syrup for the sugar syrup. Agave syrup one and a half times as sweet, thus need less for same level of sweetness. Martini glass instead of Champagne coupe.
note
Agave syrup a big improvement. Shaker and strainer and different glass may have made a difference other than visual.
Larger ice cubes used and for the ice use water used for coffee not tap water.
The Grind espresso martini served at Grind and featured in the Grind book.
I am not impressed by the Grind house blend as espresso, but works well in espresso martini.
The closest I have come to the espresso martini made for me by cocktail maestro Stasi Apostolou at The Third Room. I filmed the making of, but stupid me neglected to hit record.
Note: For the pedantic, yes I know extraction from a Grind capsule using an Opal One is not an espresso but it is a good approximation to make an espresso martini.
Amos Owens moonshine a very smooth vodka. Batch 1 bottle 233.
Espresso martini create by Dick Bradsell in the late 1980s.
It sounds too good to true. An urban myth.
Espresso martini: I invented this at Fred’s Club in the late eighties, when a young model who’s now famous walked in and said: ‘Can you make me a drink that will wake me up and the then fuck me up?’. — Dick Bradsell
An attractive you lady walks into a bar, says to the barman: I want something to wake me up, fuck me up.
The barman was Dick Bradsell and thus was made the espresso martini.
The model now famous rumoured to be Kate Moss. If it was Kate Moss, she would have been a teenager in her early teens.
Dick Bradsell is the barman credited with creating the London cocktail scene of the 1990s. Espresso martini was one of several cocktails he created.
More luck than judgment I picked up the correct size champagne coupe glasses from a junk shop.
Lacking a cocktail shaker I improvised with an ecoffee cup (first time I have found a use for).
Sugar syrup a 1:1 ratio.
In the absence of cocktail shaker I improvised with an ecoffee takeaway cup.
Start with ice in glass, then empty into cocktail shaker.
Not bad for a first attempt but not as good as cocktail maestro in The Third Room. I regret I neglected to hit record when Stasi Apostolou made for me last autumn.
Recipe from Grind.
European Coffee Trip youtube guide to coffee cocktails.
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