Featured Image Credit: Lemanieh/Getty Images
Topics: Alcohol, Drinks, Social Media
Rachael Davis
Espresso martinis are absolutely delicious, but sensible opportunities to drink one can come few and far between for those of us who like to be in bed by midnight.
After all, all that caffeine isn’t conducive to a good night’s kip. You need about 12 hours to clear caffeine from your system and prevent it from delaying or interfering with your sleep, but the alcohol in this cocktail means you probably shouldn’t be necking one at 12pm either.
Could you tell this article was written by someone over 30? How come?
What likely hasn’t crossed your mind is that you might be drinking espresso martinis sub-optimally in other ways.
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Thanks to cocktail expert Abby Matthews from The Cocktail Co, you might never look at the coffee-based concoction in the same way.
It comes down to a peculiar pairing that elevates your cocktail but might take some getting used to: add some cheese. More specifically, parmesan.
That’s right: make those Italian beans shine with a light dusting of some Italian cheese.
The ‘parmesan espresso martini’ has been doing the rounds on TikTok, where all ideas great and incredibly awful love to circulate, and the cocktail expert reckons this one falls into the former camp.
"Espresso martinis have always been a crowd-pleaser, offering smooth indulgence balanced with a caffeine kick,” said Matthews.
"The idea of adding parmesan to an espresso martini might sound unusual at first, but it's a flavour combination that you’re likely already familiar with from a lot of popular breakfast meals - take an egg and cheese omelette with a coffee for example."
She continued: "While the cocktail is perfectly delicious by itself, the addition of a salty, savoury flavour profile from the parmesan can balance nicely with the cocktail’s sweet and bitter flavours, adding a unique depth that will leave your taste buds pleasantly surprised."
The trick is to add the parmesan as a garnish, just as you would a bolognese, rather than mix and shake it as one of the main cocktail ingredients.
Matthews said it should 'float on top and provide a unique taste with every sip'.
It’s safe to say that the hard cheese is a hard sell.
“No. No,” said one emphatic Reddit user. “I’m imagining the flavour profile right now and NO. All I can think of is this being the drink equivalent of licking a dirty carpet. Just Please Lord Noooo.”
“Fresh parm has a flavour that would pair well with the bittersweet of chocolate,” suggested another.
They were smacked back down by another response: “To me, it's equivalent to licking a dirtiest restroom floor at a sleazy bar!”.
Who among you is brave enough to give it a go?