Boozy Barista - Coffee & Cocktails

My birthday was 2 days ago on March 6th (Happy Birthday Me!). I just turned 22, which means that I now have one full year under my belt of being legal! 

If you live in or around Akron, I am sure you’ve heard about the brewery R.Shea closing this past weekend. They had two locations - one off of Main Street in downtown Akron, and then one in the valley about 10-15 minutes from campus. After reading R.Shea’s Facebook post, and talking to others, it seems like breweries and wineries in the area have been very slow these first few months of 2024, and some are even struggling to keep their doors open (R.I.P. R.Shea). It was even reported that beer sales in 2024 have dropped to the lowest level in the past 25 years.

With most businesses, January tends to be the slowest month for sales, but I never thought about how bars or businesses that their main sale is alcohol, struggle in January because of those that are attempting “Dry January”. To go along with this, I feel like I have also seen a push towards crafted cocktails and mocktails, as opposed to beer and wine. I hypothesize that the drop in beer sales has been made up by cocktail/mixed-beverage sales- but what do you think?

Don’t worry, I think the Euro Gyro’s and Manny’s of the world will be a-okay, but I have a feeling that in the future, breweries and wineries will become less popular or they will have to adapt to the changing tastes of their customers by adding cocktail/mocktail options. 

Like I said before, I have been the legal drinking age for a year now, and in the past year I have definitely grown fond of making and consuming fun and fancy crafted cocktails. 

If a summer shandy came in a girly cup with a fancy straw and a citrus garnish - MAYBE I would be in my beer era…but they don’t. 

This leads into this week's blog - where I am sharing my favorite coffee cocktail!

There are plenty of recipes for coffee cocktails, but by far the most popular is the espresso martini. This sweet, and smooth cocktail originated from London in the 1980’s, credited to bartending guru Dick Bradsell - Thank you Dick Bradsell for blessing us! 

Espresso Martini Recipe and Instructions:

If you look online, you will find hundreds if not thousands of different espresso martini recipes, with different ratios and ingredients. But really, there is nothing better than just a classic espresso martini - the less fuss the better. 

Ingredients: 

2 oz Vodka

½ oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua) 

1 oz Espresso or cold brew concentrate 

½ oz Simple Syrup 

Instructions: 

1. Add ice, vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. 

2. Shake hard to create foam and strain into a martini glass

3. Garnish with 3 coffee beans. 

Notes:

• In this recipe you can either use espresso OR cold brew concentrate. Espresso and cold brew concentrate are both very concentrated coffee so you are able to use them interchangeably in this recipe. You can use whichever you find more convenient!

• The three bean garnish on espresso martinis represent health, wealth, and happiness! So be sure to respect the espresso martini lore. 

As we enter the weekend, please remember to drink responsibly! 

See you next week! <3