Barker Company launch shakes up Espresso Martini scene

Ready-to-serve (RTS) Espresso Martini brand The Barker Company has launched in the US, as it seeks to 'redefine the cocktail experience’.

The brand was founded by a fashion photographer Nigel Barker, and Philippe Roederer, a beverage industry veteran, and former vice president of sales for Clicquot Inc and CMO of Rémy Cointreau. Positioned as a 'bartender quality' Espresso Martini, the cocktail is crafted with a vegan blend of 100% Colombian espresso, six-times distilled vodka, and other 'premium' ingredients. Described as rich and smooth with a 'great head', the RTS cocktail has a 20% ABV. Roederer said: “I have had an exciting career building exceptional brands and it’s been a lifetime dream to build my own. It’s taken us close to two years to come up with the perfect bartender-quality recipe. The feedback from both the trade and consumers has been incredible, and I love seeing people’s reaction after their first sip. “We are going to generate tremendous interest from high volume bars and restaurants, where making a consistent, high-quality Espresso Martini can be challenging. We also fill a need in retail for at-home consumption with an easy one-step process to making a perfectly balanced Espresso Martini.” The Barker Company Espresso Martinis are available in New York, Texas, Georgia, and Massachusetts, with Colorado, Michigan, and Tennessee following in October. They come in three formats: 200ml can (US$4.99); 375ml bottle (US$15.99); and 700ml bottle (US$27.99). In the autumn, the Martini will be available in a 1.75l size for US$45.99, for a 'Martini on tap' experience. Additionally, the brand will debut a Cappuccino Martini flavour. The aesthetic of the brand has been led by Barker and his design team Day of the Week. Barker, known for his role as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, said he wanted to create a cocktail "so perfect it would leave your world, quite literally, shaken and stirred". He added: “I have always had a passion for creating exceptional experiences. After sampling so many different ready-to-drink Espresso Martinis on [my podcast] The Shaken & Stirred Show with my guests, I knew we needed to create something much better. “Our Espresso Martinis are the culmination of years of experimentation and a desire to share my love for great cocktails with the world, catering to the ever-growing demand for a high-standard cocktail experience at home." According to CGA’s Cocktail Sales Tracker by Nielsen IQ, the Espresso Martini is among the top 10 cocktails in the US on-trade. Last year, The Spirits Business explored how coffee culture has become the perfect match for bartending.