Barker Espresso Martini

BARKER's Espresso Martini comes ready to drink in a can. It's an espresso-martini-style cocktail at 14.0% ABV, so it's noticeably stronger than most hard seltzers and closer to what you'd expect from a poured cocktail. The brand and category tell us it's built around coffee and a spirit base. The details we have don't list the spirit, the coffee source or any sweetener, so we won't guess at them. Canned espresso martinis usually taste of roasted coffee, a touch of bitterness and a rounded sweetness, with a soft, creamy feel as the drink warms slightly. If this one follows the style, expect a dark, coffee-forward profile, not a sugary dessert drink. Each can is already mixed, so there's no shaker, no espresso to pull and no bar tools to find. Opening it is the whole preparation. Serve it well chilled, because the flavour is cleaner and the coffee notes come across crisper when it's cold. You can drink it straight from the can. For a more polished serve, pour it over ice into a rocks glass. Some canned versions foam a little when poured, so a slow pour into a tilted glass helps. Ice will dilute it slowly and soften the sweetness. If you want it undiluted, chill the can in the fridge for a few hours beforehand and pour it into a cold glass. The coffee character makes it a natural after-dinner drink, and it works as a stand-in for dessert alongside something chocolate, a tiramisu or a plain shortbread. It also suits a late-afternoon pick-me-up and the start of a night out, when you'd want a cocktail without making one. Single cans pack easily for a picnic, a dinner at a friend's place or a gift alongside a bottle of wine. At 14.0% ABV it's a drink to sip, not to pour freely.