The Parmesan Espresso Martini is the internet’s latest cocktail craze. What began as a bartender’s award-winning creation in a cocktail competition last year has since reached millions of viewers online after trending on social media over the last six months, and has even made it to the official menus of bars across the country.
While the Espresso Martini has been a long-time favorite in the cocktail world, the Parmesan Espresso Martini takes the popular drink a step further with a fresh grating of parmesan cheese on top. This unique concoction has caught the attention of cocktail lovers and bartenders alike who have been sharing their recreations online, fueling the rapidly-growing Parmesan Espresso Martini trend.
The unique cocktail’s journey from conception to internet craze has been quite the ride. It all started in August 2022 when Peruvian bartender Carlos Ruiz earned third place in a Licor 43 cocktail competition for his Cafe Con Queso cocktail, an Espresso Martini garnished with Parmesan cheese gratings.
This inspired Seattle bartender Jonathan Stanyard to create the Espresso Truffletini, his version of the Parmesan Espresso Martini made with truffle-infused Cognac, fresh espresso and coffee liqueur that’s then topped off with a thin layer of shaved dark chocolate and aged Parmesan cheese.
Fast forward to February 2023 when content creator Jordan Hughes, also known on social media as High-Proof Teacher, made a video of himself garnishing an Espresso Martini with Parmesan cheese. The Instagram video went viral with over a million views and sent the Parmesan Espresso Martini into a spiraling trend.
By April of this year, Starbucks Reserve added an Espresso Martini to its menu with the option to add cheese on top, while major food publications, like Food & Wine and the New York Post, had also covered the trend, leading the Today show to feature a segment on the internet-famous Parmesan Espresso Martini.
The buzz around the cheese-topped cocktail is still strong on social media as users jump on the trend to try out the drink themselves. If you have yet to see what the rage is all about, it’s not too late—there’s still plenty of inspiration online for recreating the perfect Parmesan Espresso Martini at home or requesting it as your drink of choice during your next night out.
