CATCHING UP OVER COFFEE: CLOSING OUT RÉMY MARTIN’S ESPRESSO MARTINI CHALLENGE

By Chilled Magazine

In honor of our first Espresso Martini Day (March 15th) Rémy Martin challenged Chilled 100 bartenders to create a riff on the classic cocktail using Rémy Martin 1738.

Each of the 16 bartenders created a stunning cocktail using the cognac. We caught up with the bartenders after they created their drinks to hear what they thought about mixing up their own Rémy Espresso Martini!

Keyatta Mincy Parker/ Atlanta: 

“How often do you get to combine morning and night? You enjoy espresso or chai lattes or tea in the morning and enjoy that 1738 like royalty in the evening… ahhh it’s the best of all worlds! Cheers!”


Ryan O’Neill/ Atlanta: 

“Using Remy Martin 1738 and coffee in a cocktail was an easy yes for me, having loved the combination for a while! The depth of the cognac with the hearty flavor of espresso goes together like and cake and ice cream, though it doesn’t need to be my birthday to enjoy this cocktail! I know I’ll use this combination for years to come; creating it for not only myself, but guests at my bar have brought some big smiles to faces!”


Roger Gross/ Boston: 

“I loved making the espresso martini with Rémy 1738, I have a secret passion for cognac. With its silky texture and aromas of stone fruit it was a perfect pairing with the Ethiopian coffee liqueur. The baking spice and chocolate in the Rémy were accented by the espresso and chai spice in the syrup. It made for an opulent experience. Just enough oak to balance the creamy body, I had to make another for the photo as the first one didn’t last. I hope this turns into a more common request at the bar.”


Fatima Butler/ Chicago: 

“I love to drink and make espresso martinis. I tend to venture away from the traditional use of vodka for my variations. I also enjoy making cocktails inspired by dessert. The chocolate and dried fruit notes play very well with my cocktail version of tiramisu, one of my favorite desserts to eat and now drink!”


Marco Montaguano/Chicago: 

“The espresso martini with Remy was a great way to showcase my Latin American heritage. Rémy has those vanilla and dried fruit notes that go perfect with banana and coffee, traditional flavors for Latin America, so with this cocktail I’ll take you on a journey from Latin American to France! “


Justin Ware/ Houston: 

“The espresso martini is one of my favorite cocktails for a number of reasons. Mainly because it was what I lived on during a trip to France. So when I was asked by @chilledmagazine#chilled100 to do my take on one with @remymartinus cognac I was all in! I have been wanting to do a nitro cocktail for some time and have fallen in love with a local roaster and coffee shop @xelacoffeeroasters and have enjoyed bananas and their coffee together on a regular basis! This the inspiration for this drink!”


Rebecca Burkhart/Houston: 

“The vanilla, honey, and berry notes of Remy could not be a better pairing with the rich subtle bitterness of everyday espresso. Taking that already tailored pairing and making it fit for patio weather with some juicy Texas Ruby Reds made it feel like home and shows just how versatile Remy and espresso can truly be! “


Clint Spotleson / Las Vegas: 

“The richness of using Remy 1738 in an espresso martini was great. It stands up well to the espresso and adds nice layer of flavor to a drink that can taste fairly straightforward at times. It opened up the opportunity to use more complex flavors in the drink.”


Adam Rains/ Las Vegas: 

“Mixing with Cognac is always a treat, especially when it’s with Remy 1738. Coffee, butterscotch, fig marmalade flavors dance and commingle with citrus, cinnamon, and coconut cream. Espresso Martinis mixed with Remy 1738 are a new-school classic!”

 Strong Man Flip

Strong Man Flip


Kingston Chan/ Los Angeles: 

“The Rémy Espresso Martini campaign came into my life at such a perfect time!

I had just gotten Vietnamese food with my dad earlier in the week when I got the call from Chilled Magazine. Rémy Martin is one of my dad’s favorite spirits of all time. I remember when I was a little kid, going with him to the Asian supermarkets, and seeing Rémy bottles on top of shelves of liquor cabinets and what it was and how he would bring it to family BBQs. I had been doing Research & Development work at home on a few cocktails I’ve been working on for Tesse Restaurant’s spring menu and a flavor profile I cherish from my childhood is pandan.

Pandan is a tropical plant used in various Southeast Asian desserts and beverages. It came natural to me to create an Espresso Martini in the direction of a Southeast Asian-styled iced coffee with pandan. It’s an honor to showcase the magnificence of Rémy Martin 1738®. The cognac’s smooth dried fruit, vanilla and baking spiced notes fit perfect with the robustness of peaberry cold brew, St. George’s NOLA coffee liqueur, and the herbaceousness of homemade pandan simple syrup. The finish is elegant, floral, complex, and memorable, perfect to highlight Remy Martin 1738®.”


Victoria Naturale/ Los Angeles: 

“I had such a fun time getting to play with Remy 1738! My favorite part of bartending is getting to be creative and balancing flavors. The Remy 1738’s warm vanilla notes paired beautifully with the coffee and Cynar 70. This drink is a perfect way to start or end a meal.”


Zev Glesta/ NYC: 

“I love using Remy Martin 1738 because of the wonderful body and dessert like qualities. When coming up with an espresso and Remy cocktail it was pretty easy to match complimentary notes: dark toasty chocolate with espresso, Remy 1738, and most espresso (in this case a dark roast) have a creamy texture and great acidity. It was a fun exercise to pair two of my favorite day and night options.”

Sunset Reset

Sunset Reset


Samantha Casuaga/ NYC: 

“This is a riff on a non-alcoholic fizz I once made. I thought it would be perfect to add espresso and Cognac to the basic structure of the drink as the flavors complement each other well with the original profile. I think it’s a fun way to have an “Espresso Martini” variation as it changes up the texture and format of what is usually presented. Remy 1738 has long been in my gamut of cocktail making spirits, so I was happy to use it in this delicious tipple.”


Josue Gonzalez/ Washington DC: 

“A cognac like Remy Martin 1738 has a lovely bouquet of fig and toffee that I find does excellent in an espresso martini. I love coffee and making espresso martinis are always a blast when using a spirit other than vodka. Playing off the flavors of chocolate and baked spices that you will find when you taste Remy, I used a little Pedro Ximenez in combination with fig spread to enhance the natural sweetness of cognac that works so lovely in this cocktail.”

Remy Rise

Remy Rise


Rachel Sergi/ Washington DC:  

“I had a ball making this drink! Sounds weird, but I envisioned a Sidecar and Espresso Martini having a baby and it would be the Cafe Luxe.  It took some tweaking, but it is AH-MAZING in its final state. Coffee and citrus…yum!!!

Remy keeps its well roundedness when playing with the bitter elements of espresso and brightness of lemon. Couldn’t have asked for a better cognac for this drink.”

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