How the Parm
Espresso Martini Happened:
ot content with simply existing as the cocktail world’s most notorious juggernaut, the Espresso Martini—a drink as ubiquitous as it is reviled—is laughing in our faces, daring us to stop the madness. But we can’t.
2022
The Espresso Martini becomes one of the
10 most-ordered drinks in the United States, beating out the Manhattan, which
dropped four places.
August 2022
Peruvian bartender Carlos Ruiz takes third place in a cocktail competition hosted by Licor 43 with his Cafe Con Queso, an Espresso Martini riff topped with Parmesan cheese.
February 14, 2023
Inspired by Stanyard, Portland, Oregon,
content creator Jordan Hughes, better known as High-Proof Preacher, creates a viral video of himself making an Espresso Martini topped with a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese, garnering
1.3 million views on Instagram to date.
Fall 2022
Inspired by Ruiz’s winning recipe, Seattle bartender Jonathan Stanyard creates the Espresso Truffletini made with truffle-infused Cognac, espresso and coffee liqueur, garnished with a thin layer of shaved dark chocolate and aged Parmesan cheese.
1980s
Famed bartender Dick Bradsell invents the Espresso Martini, then known simply as the Vodka Espresso, in London.
February 21, 2023
Starbucks Reserve introduces an
Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Espresso Martini,
made with vodka, espresso, vanilla bean syrup and olive oil–infused foam, topped (at certain locations) with an optional heap of grated Parmesan cheese.
April 3 to April 11, 2023
Publications including Food & Wine,
the Independent, the New York Post and more report on the trend, with some even endorsing it.
On the Today show, hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager try the trend for themselves, citing Hughes’ video in the segment. (They hated the drink.)
April 18, 2023
On TikTok, the trend shows no signs of slowing.
MAY 30, 2023
In just six months, the unhinged drink went from TikTok stunt to Starbucks menu item.
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Assuming its most beguiling form yet, the drink is now being served (on social media channels and in real-life bars) with a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese on top, as if that were a sane thing to do. How on earth did we get here?
To answer that question, we traveled back in time to the beginning of it all.
A Timeline