One Espresso Martini's Never Enough, So Now There's An Entire Festival

By Lydia Manch Last edited 80 months ago

Looks like this article is a bit old. Be aware that information may have changed since it was published.

Lydia Manch One Espresso Martini's Never Enough, So Now There's An Entire Festival

Night owls, rejoice: there's a new espresso martini festival coming to town in August.

It's already been a hit in Melbourne, with dates for the inaugural festival last year selling out in 60 seconds. Now coffee cocktail merchants Mr Black are launching their Espresso Martini Fest on London. And they're launching it in a no-holds-barred way:

- three days

- more than 50 bars signed up already

- and surprisingly cheap, thoroughly alcoholic espresso martinis, waiting for you in each one of them.

£10 gets you a festival pass. Which in turn gets you £5 espresso martinis from the good folk at Mr Black, and at every participating bar.

Host bars include some of our favourites — Beagle in Hoxton, Singer Tavern near Old Street and Original Sin in Stoke Newington. Flashing your wristband at any of the participating bars will get you their take on the coffee cocktail.

London's arguably the festival's spiritual home — the cocktail was invented here in the 80s by cocktail legend Dick Bradsell. Story goes, Bradsell was working at Soho Brasserie when a model arrived and demanded a cocktail that would 'wake her up and fuck her up'.

And the espresso martini was born.