While the Espresso Martini was invented in the 1980s by legendary bartender Dick Bradsell, the game was changed in 2013 with the release of Mr Black, a cold brew coffee liqueur that can now be found on backbars across the globe. While invented in London, the cocktail took off in Australia, with one Aussie bartender, Clara Edmonds, commenting in 2016 that more than half the drinks she made at her bar were Espresso Martinis. It’s only right, then, that the country that loves Espresso Martinis so much would birth a coffee liqueur that’s a perfect complement to the iconic cocktail.
In the years following its release, the spirit has quickly become the preferred coffee liqueur among consumers and bartenders alike, and the brand has now expanded into North Dakota for the first time!
Mr Black was created by master distiller Philip Moore of Distillery Botanica and “designer-turned-coffee-snob” Tom Baker. The two made the perfect duo as they both shared the belief that when coffee is made correctly, it can be incredibly nuanced, exciting, and delicious. The company also strives to take coffee from morning to night, with its central mission being for consumers to “take their love of coffee into their evening drinks.”
Unlike many of its competitors, Mr Black is more than just a coffee-flavored liqueur; it actually contains real coffee. Made with specialty-grade, 100 percent arabica coffee beans sourced from Papua New Guinea, Colombia, and Kenya, every 1-ounce pour of the coffee liqueur contains about 25 to 40 percent of the caffeine found in a single shot of espresso.
Mr Black’s ingredient list is, as far as liqueurs go, incredibly short. Made with just coffee, water, Australian wheat vodka, and sugar, the recipe is intended to truly allow the flavor of coffee to shine. As coffee used in Mr Black is sourced from a variety of locations, each blend tastes slightly different from the last.
Mr Black Espresso Martini
1 oz Mr Black Coffee Liqueur
1 oz Vodka
1 oz fresh Espresso or Cold Brew
¼ oz of Simple Syrup
Method – Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker, shake well and strain.
-Pour into Martini Glass and garnish with Coffee Beans
Cheers!
