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It's "Bad Luck" If Your Espresso Martini Isn't Garnished With 3 Beans, And Here's The Very Important Reason Why Having three beans on your espresso martini isn't just for flair. There's a lot of history behind it. Have you ever wondered why your espresso martini comes garnished with espresso beans? It turns out the popular cocktail is traditionally topped with three coffee beans for a reason. And you’ll really want to make sure your next martini comes with three beans (and not two, not one, and certainly not none). Bartenders say the three beans that top espresso martinis signify health, wealth, and happiness. “The tradition actually started with the Italian liqueur Sambuca, where three beans were used as a toast to good fortune — and it’s carried over perfectly to the espresso martini,” Chelsea Walrath, general manager of Char & Stave in Pennsylvania, told HuffPost via email. In the case of Sambuca, which is also served with three coffee beans, the beans represent wishes of health, prosperity, and happiness. The beans on an espresso martini hold a similar meaning. “Each bean has its own meaning: one for good health, one for [wealth] (in life and in the coffee industry), and one for happiness — the joy that comes from a great cup of coffee or, in this case, a great martini,” Walrath said. According to the coffee and espresso company Illy, three is also an important number in itself as it represents balance and harmony in Italian culture (and in other cultures, too). While not all espresso martinis come with three beans, “it’s said to be bad luck if your espresso martini doesn’t have all three beans,” Walrath added. (Health and wealth without happiness? No, thank you.) The three beans don’t actually do much for the flavor, but they’re still an important aspect of the cocktail. “To me, it’s pure decoration ... they don’t change the nature of the drink, but everybody loves a nice garnish, especially when it’s perfect for pictures ... basically, it’s a nice, clean presentation,” said Isai Xolalpa, the beverage director at the W Philadelphia. “I think if you’re making a traditional espresso martini, you should include the beans. If it’s a variation, it’s not really necessary,” said Ryan Ota, the beverage director of Eos & Nyx in San Jose, California. Even without the coffee beans, it’s still a pleasing drink to look at. “The foam you get from shaking espresso serves as a great garnish on its own,” Ota added. It’s not hard to make an espresso martini at home, but here are a few tips from the pros: “This is probably one of the easiest and forgiving cocktails to make at home,” said Ota. Just because it looks like a fancy drink doesn’t mean you need years and years of experience to make it. The most important thing is the ingredients; you should use an espresso you really like the taste of since it’s the focal point of the drink. “Run down to your favorite coffee shop for some espresso. You’re shaking it anyway, so it doesn’t need to be hot when you get home,” Ota said. Nice espresso is essential, Xolalpa added — “but also a good vodka, and ... you need to have a good-quality coffee liquor. That will help to bring the aromas and the flavors from espresso.” You can also easily put your own spin on an espresso martini and use liquors other than vodka. “It’s ... fun to modify it with your favorite spirit,” Ota said. “Pick your favorite spirit and try different liqueurs to add nuance.” For example, you could use tequila or rum in place of the vodka. “You can even use cold brew in place of espresso, but I recommend using an espresso liqueur alongside it, to give a darker, roasted flavor,” he said. You can even try adding in baking spices, brown sugar, caramel, and tropical flavors, which “make an interesting and complex variation,” Ota said. Once you have all of your ingredients in your cocktail shaker, you need to give it a “good shake,” said Xolalpa. When you shake the cocktail, you should do so for about 45 seconds to a minute, he noted, as this will give it that classic espresso martini foam. If you don’t have cocktail shakers, or don’t want to go through the shaking effort, you can also froth the ingredients together with a handheld frother that’s usually used for making lattes, Xolalpa added. The espresso martini is an easy cocktail to customize to your liking, there’s really no wrong choice — as long as you finish it off with a coffee-bean-topped wish of health, wealth, and happiness. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
