The Origins of the Wandering Whistler Hazelnut Espresso Martini
- wanderingwhistlerc
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
Our house cocktails are more than just drinks. Many of our cocktails are the result of experimentation, memories, and the places and people that inspired Wandering Whistler Café. Our Hazelnut Espresso Martini is one of them.
Long before the café opened, Wes and I were experimenting with cocktails at home. Over the years, recipes we discovered, places we visited, and a favorite date-night tradition all helped shape the Espresso Martini we serve today.
But our story starts decades before ours—with a bartender in London's Soho and a rather memorable request.
A Cocktail Born in the 1980s
Every classic cocktail has an origin story, and the Espresso Martini is no exception.
According to Bea Bradsell, daughter of legendary bartender Dick Bradsell, the Espresso Martini was born in London's Soho during the mid-1980s. Dick was tending bar at the Soho Brasserie, which had recently installed a new illy espresso machine.
One evening, a young model walked into the bar with a memorable request: she wanted a drink that would wake her up while still packing the punch of a cocktail.
With coffee surrounding him behind the bar and vodka being a popular spirit at the time, Dick combined vodka, fresh espresso, and coffee liqueur. After a vigorous shake, the Vodka Espresso was born.
But the drink we know today didn't appear overnight.
According to Bea, the earliest version was served over ice, and her father continued refining the cocktail for roughly 15 years. As it appeared on different menus, the recipe and presentation evolved into what we now recognize as the Espresso Martini.
I love this part of the story because great cocktails are rarely perfected on the first attempt. They evolve through experimentation, small adjustments, and plenty of tasting along the way.
Our Espresso Martini story isn't nearly as famous, but it began in much the same way: experimenting around our kitchen counter in 2021.
The Wandering Whistler Hazelnut Espresso Martini
Wes and I had a favorite date-night tradition while living near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Nearly every week, we'd find ourselves at Frothy Monkey in downtown Chattanooga.
We'd grab coffee, catch up, and simply spend time together. Those ordinary evenings became some of our favorite memories.
When we opened Wandering Whistler Café, we wanted to bring a small piece of those date nights back with us to Illinois.
That's why Frothy Monkey Cold Brew Concentrate became the foundation of our Espresso Martini.
Frothy Monkey slow brews its concentrate for 24 hours using sustainably sourced coffees. They describe notes of crisp pear layered with caramel and chocolate. For our cocktail, those chocolate notes work especially well with hazelnut, while the cold brew concentrate helps us create the smooth, foamy finish you expect from an Espresso Martini.
Our experimenting started years before the café opened. In fact, one of my favorite photos from 2021 shows us working on Espresso Martinis alongside The Art of Mixology: Classic Cocktails and Curious Concoctions.
We also looked to bartenders and brands sharing their own interpretations of the cocktail. One of our early discoveries was Frangelico's Hazelnut Espresso Martini. The combination reinforced something we already loved: coffee and hazelnut belong together.
Over time, those experiments evolved into the Hazelnut Espresso Martini you'll find at Wandering Whistler today.
The Modern Recipe and Variations You Can Try
If you'd like to make a classic Espresso Martini at home, here's a simple recipe inspired by Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
A Simple Espresso Martini
2 oz vodka
1 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz espresso or quality cold brew concentrate
½ oz simple syrup
Shake vigorously with ice until well chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass and garnish with three coffee beans.
Celebrate Harry's Birthday with us
One of the things I've always loved about the Espresso Martini is that it seems equally at home with bold personalities and everyday moments.
From its beginning with an unnamed model in 1980s London to its appearances in popular culture—including Bridget Jones—the Espresso Martini has found its way into plenty of stories.
As we celebrate Harry Potter's birthday this July, I can't help but wonder who might pull up a chair at Wandering Whistler Café if the wizarding world crossed paths with our own.
Perhaps Rita Skeeter would sweep through the door, notebook in hand, ordering an Espresso Martini before chasing her next headline.
Or maybe Nymphadora Tonks would finally have a chance to unwind after a long day at the Ministry—laughing with friends over a board game, her Espresso Martini resting beside the table.
And then there's you.
Whether you arrive in wizarding robes or muggle blue jeans, celebrating Harry Potter's birthday or simply escaping the ordinary for an evening, we hope you'll find a little magic here.
Gather your flock, pick up a board game, order something you haven't tried before, and make a story of your own.
References and Recommended Reads:
If you'd like to learn more about the Espresso Martini and some of the resources that inspired our journey, we encourage you to explore the following:
Bea Bradsell. The Real Story of the Espresso Martini. Class Bar Magazine. An account of the cocktail's origins written by Dick Bradsell's daughter, including the evolution from the original Vodka Espresso to today's Espresso Martini.
Frangelico. Hazelnut Espresso Martini. One of the early recipes that inspired our home experiments and introduced us to the pairing of hazelnut and coffee.
Frothy Monkey. Cold Brew Concentrate. The coffee concentrate we proudly use in our Hazelnut Espresso Martini, inspired by years of date nights at Frothy Monkey in downtown Chattanooga.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Espresso Martinis Are Having a Moment Again. A thoughtful look at the Espresso Martini's modern resurgence, coffee selection, and home preparation. https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/blogs/news/espresso-martinis-are-having-a-moment-again?srsltid=AfmBOophyuNs6p01d_4WB-6g_-uz0yZLUhPSOEh5YZPaPSmKS4UpLuzq
The Art of Mixology: Classic Cocktails and Curious Concoctions. One of the cocktail books we frequently referenced while learning and experimenting with recipes at home.
AI was used for editing this article.
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