Welcome to Wonkette Happy Hour, With This Week's Cocktail, The Espresso Sunrise!

A pick me up to start a good weekend.

Looks as pretty as it tastes.

Greetings, Wonketeers! I’m Hooper, your bartender. I’m back from my pirate vacation and thrilled to be back in the world of soft beds and indoor plumbing. Let’s mix up a breakfast-style espresso martini - a perfect “wake me up and fix me up” kind of cocktail. Time to make an Espresso Sunrise. Here’s the recipe.

Espresso Sunrise

1 ½ oz vodka

1 oz espresso

½ oz Mr. Black coffee liquor

½ oz orange shrub

Licor 43

Pour a small amount of Licor 43 into a martini glass. Swirl the Licor 43 in the glass until the inside of the glass is coated, then shake out the excess. Shake the remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker until the outside of the shaker is cold to the touch. Double strain into the prepared martini glass. Garnish with espresso powder, orange zest, and three espresso beans.

Orange Shrub

3-4 organic navel oranges

1 cup sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

Zest the oranges into a large bowl, avoiding the white pith as much as possible. Juice the oranges into the bowl. Add sugar and water. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Add vinegar and strain into a sealable glass bottle. Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.

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Espresso martinis are still wildly popular at the bar. They’re our number one bestseller at Hemingway’s, and I’m pretty sure that’s true for most bars in the area. My basic espresso martini is pretty darn good; I attribute that to my insistence on following Dick Bradswell’s classic recipe. Vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur, and just a touch of sweetness make this recipe work. Bailey’s has no place in a proper espresso martini. And there simply must be a proper head of foam on the top of a good espresso martini. If you’re served a flat espresso martini at a bar, run. They’re making their martinis with cold-brew coffee, or worse. It’s not the same, trust me.

We entered this cocktail into a recent espresso martini contest here in Cleveland. A standard espresso martini uses a sugar syrup or creme de cacao as a sweetener. This drink replaces the sugar with orange shrub, a tart-sweet citrus elixir that’s a joy to work with at the bar. Citrus shrubs make your average springtime cooler or spritz dance at the bar. Shrubs have been popular in America since the 17th century. An orange shrub with a little soda water makes a terrific non-alcoholic cocktail. One of my fellow bartenders has a cocktail recipe in her back pocket that uses bourbon, orange shrub, maple syrup, and a touch of lemon that’s a showstopper.

I know that waiting a full day to make a cocktail ingredient isn’t much fun, but patience pays off. If you simply must have a drink right now - trust me, I get it, it’s 2026 - replace the orange shrub with fresh pulp-free orange juice. But go ahead and make the orange shub anyway. This handy little drinking vinegar will get you through mimosa season with flying colors - a splash in your champagne is so much better than bland grocery store OJ. I give the shrub 2-3 weeks in the fridge, but you’ll use it up well before then.

Let’s talk ingredients:

Behind the bar, ingredient shot. We were working a private party in the midst of all this.

Vodka: I’m not picky. A light, sweet vodka like Tito’s works; I prefer an earthy potato vodka like Luskoya in cocktails to give me more control of sweetness. It’s a minor detail that won’t be a big deal at your home bar.

Espresso: Good espresso makes for a good espresso martini. Cold brew is okay - barely - but if you love espresso martinis, you need to use the real deal. I swear by my little moka pot and some Cafe Bustelo at home.

Mr. Black Coffee Liquor: Kahlua is garbage. Spring for a quality coffee liquor. I love Mr. Black, but there are a lot of good choices available if you browse your local liquor store shelves.

Orange shrub: I really love the interplay of orange and coffee in this glass, but don’t feel limited in your choice of fruit. A strawberry shrub would be wonderful on its own, and would be dandy in this cocktail.

Licor 43: This sweet, vanilla herbal liquor is a natural match for coffee. Licor 43 and espresso make a carajillo, one of the best coffee drinks ever. I use a tiny amount of Licor 43 here to balance the cocktail’s sweetness and acidity. If you love coffee, you won’t regret buying this bottle.

My home bar is currently a sandbar in the middle of the Atlantic. But normally, it’s Hemingway’s Underground, the hottest cocktail bar in pretty little Medina, Ohio. I’m behind the stick Wednesday-Saturday, 4-10. Last call’s at midnight. Swing on by, and I’ll make a drink for you… or anything else from our little Happy Hour here at Wonkette.

OPEN THREAD!