Espresso Martini Mocktail

Cold brew and NA coffee spirit — Bradsell's mid-1980s Soho Brasserie creation given the zero-proof treatment, three beans the Italian lucky-number tradition.

The Espresso Martini Mocktail is a non-alcoholic adaptation of Dick Bradsell's mid-1980s London creation — arguably the most globally replicated cocktail of the early 21st century. Bradsell, who worked at the Soho Brasserie on Old Compton Street in London when he created the original, combined vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur, and sugar syrup in response to a customer's request for something to wake her up and then mess her up. The drink experienced a remarkable commercial resurgence from approximately 2021 onward, driven by social media and the global expansion of specialty coffee culture, and its widespread appeal created immediate demand for a non-alcoholic version. The Espresso Martini Mocktail presents specific technical challenges that its alcoholic counterpart does not: the frothy, persistent foam that defines the drink's presentation depends partly on the emulsification properties of spirits, and replicating the foam structure without alcohol requires careful attention to shaking technique and coffee temperature. Non-alcoholic spirit substitutes — including products from Seedlip, Lyre's, and various coffee-specific non-alcoholic preparations — have been used to approximate the original's structure while omitting the alcohol. The drink's three characteristic coffee beans placed on the foam surface as garnish, a presentation tradition widely attributed to the Italian superstition that three is a lucky number, is retained in the non-alcoholic version.