The story
The usual story is set in London's Soho in the early 1980s. Bartender Dick Bradsell was working at the Soho Brasserie, where the coffee machine sat right beside his station, when a well-known model is said to have asked for a drink that would wake her up and then knock her flat. He shook vodka with fresh espresso and coffee liqueur and called it the Vodka Espresso. Bradsell, a leading figure in London's cocktail revival, later served versions under other names, including the Pharmaceutical Stimulant. Poured into a martini glass, it became the espresso martini and enjoyed a worldwide boom in the early 2020s.
Also known as vodka espresso, pharmaceutical stimulant.
On the Meridish menu
Espresso martini was the aperitif course on menu No. 15 on October 15, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso, shaken to a creamy foam. A bartender here mixed it in the 1980s for a model who asked for something to wake her up.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
