The ingredients of our N°3 The Espresso Martini

When it came to vodka, we were spoiled for choice as to which one to use for our N°3 THE ESPRESSO MARTINI. We have chosen the Alpine Vodka from the Freihof distillery. Freihof has been distilling since 1885 in the fifth generation. The production of exquisite fruit brandies, spirit specialties and various liqueurs is not only the profession of master distillers, but also the vocation of the distillery from Lustenau in Austria. From the selection of the best natural raw materials to the bottling of the treasures, perfection is always considered the top maxim of the house. This makes the traditional company the benchmark of Austrian distilling art and ranks among the absolute world leaders in the craft. The quintessence of this uncompromising pursuit has always been appreciated starting from the heart of Vorarlberg to far beyond the borders of the country and the boundless, unadulterated taste of the distillates awarded year after year with the best ratings.
Vodka is produced in most distilleries from the basic ingredients rye, wheat or barley. Exceptions prove the rule, you can also resort to, for example, sugar beet molasses, grapes or potatoes and make an excellent vodka. Finally, Mother Nature also plays a big role in the selection of raw materials, as the cultivation of raw materials naturally influences the market to some extent. Finally, it depends on the taste of the people from the region where the distillery is located, because in the end it just has to taste good.

A large part of an espresso martini, as the name suggests, is of course the coffee used to mix an espresso martini. When it comes to coffee, there’s a huge range of options. Here is a small selection of coffee varieties and countries where coffee is grown. In total, there are about 100 types of coffee known worldwide. For commercial production, however, only four types of coffee are really used as a rule. These are the coffee beans “Robusta, Coffea Arabica, Excelsa and Liberica. The lion’s share of coffee cultivation worldwide is held by Brazil, which accounts for about one third of the total. Followed by Vietnam, Indonesia, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Guatemala. The coffee for our N°3 THE ESPRESSO MARTINI is a blend of Brazil and Colombia from Segafredo.

The coffee liqueur in our N°3 THE ESPRESSO MARTINI comes from the Italian family business Girolarmo Luxardo. Girolermo, sent there as consular representative of the Kingdom of Sardinia, moved to Zara with his family in 1817. His wife Maria Canevari was particularly interested in the perfection of “Rosolio Maraschino”, a liqueur produced in Dalmatia since the Middle Ages and often produced in monasteries. Girolamo Canevari founded his distillery in 1821 to produce this liqueur and after eight years of research to perfect it, he received an exclusive “privilege” from the Emperor of Austria, a valuable and appreciated recognition for the excellence of the Luxardo product. Today, the company proudly bears the designation “Privilegiata Fabrica Maraschino Excelsior”.
In 1913, the heir of the third generation, Michelangelo Luxardo, built a very modern distillery, probably the largest in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire. Anyone who comes to Zara today can’t help but notice the imposing building on the edge of the harbor that housed the headquarters and residence of the Luxardo family.
The beginning of the Second World War (1939) significantly affected industrial activity. After indiscriminate and repeated Anglo-American bombing in 1943-44, the distillery was almost completely destroyed, as was the town. At the end of 1944, German troops withdrew from Dalmatia, allowing Tito’s partisans to occupy it. The vast majority of the surviving Italian population fled into exile in Italy and other countries (Brazil, USA & New Zealand) but too many were killed: including Pietro Luxardo, who was kidnapped and disappeared, and Nicolo the Second with his wife Bianca, who were wantonly drowned by the invaders.

The N°3 THE ESPRESSO MARTINI is served in a classic Martini glass, also called a cocktail glass. You should place the jar in your freezer for a good ten minutes before enjoying. Now take a shaker, fill it with plenty of cube ice, add 8 cl N°3 THE ESPRESSO MARTINI and shake the drink for about 2 minutes. Strain into your cocktail tip, 3 more coffee beans for decoration, sit back and enjoy.

The production

Bottled and produced our Bottled Espresso Martini 100% in Austria, near the beautiful Mozart city of Salzburg.