Non-Alcoholic Espresso Martini

Incredible work from The Gadabout, experimenting in nuance, spice and flavour to create a robust cocktail that is complex .and layered, but has no alcohol. This very much speaks to earlier thoughts I was having about mocktails.

This cocktail interested me the most as behind the coffee bitterness, the main flavours spoke of earthy notes – think all of the botanicals you can that are root-like or woody in nature. This gave a very dry drink – thanks to the extreme bitterness of the Gentian syrup – that was smooth on the palate and gently gave up the shades of flavour over time.

While it shares a close cousin with the alcoholic Espresso Martini, I think this is a much more mature version, with much more interest. While the alcoholic variety often relies on a rich, creamy texture to cover up poor quality coffee, this is rich without being thick. The mouthfeel is satisfying despite being relatively thin. It is a refreshing and interesting drink. Which makes it all the more refreshing as a point of difference.