Oh, the mystery of espresso martini.
When I first saw the display for espresso martini at Specialty Coffee Association of Japan annual trade show, I was intrigued. I became instantly curious about how it would affect the drinker emotionally and physically. Which side wins? The stimulant of coffee or the depressant of alcohol?
I went to the bar which boasted espresso martini menu, as this cafe is a coffee roaster. The bar ambiance was wonderful with dark, bar interior design yet it had many wonderful, well prepared food too. Loved the espresso martini’s taste. The simultaneous delivery of coffee flavor and alcohol punch works!
Since I am not an alcohol consumer, purely as a personal choice, after having a few sips, I gave the rest away to my friend. She loved the drink too. We just couldn’t praise it enough, as we continued with our stimulating conversation with the knowledgeable and friendly bartender.
I was really excited about introducing this drink at my cafe in Amanohashidate, but just to check out the effects of this super tasty, fashionable drink, I consulted with Gemini.
The research result wasn’t so great.
It seems like a very dangerous drink for young people, as the caffeine masks the drunkedness of strong alcohol in the martini. I mean, it’s alcoholic content is around 22%. It uninhibits people which sounds great for conversations, but since the person who drank the espresso martini can’t feel how drunk s/he is, there’s plenty of danger of saying things that are insensitive to the other person. Not only that, you can behave like a drunk person without you realizing it.
I looked up one of the credentials of published scientific research paper on it, and confirmed these facts.
I could still offer the espresso martini on my menu as a conversation piece and a wonderful, tasty novelty drink. But my enthusiasm is deflated considerably. It hides so much more potential dangers in relationships. The reason why I don’t want to turn my cafe into a bar for that exact reason.
Am I being too much of a prude?
FUJIKO SUDA 