{"id":31369,"date":"2026-01-15T08:09:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T13:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/?p=31369"},"modified":"2026-01-15T08:18:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T13:18:28","slug":"why-your-espresso-martini-needs-three-beans-and-only-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/15\/why-your-espresso-martini-needs-three-beans-and-only-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Espresso Martini Needs Three Beans (And Only Three)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Espresso martini fans know that their drink is not complete without three coffee beans resting on top. What they tend to not know is the story behind those beans and what they represent. We lay it all out so you can wow your customers with some context and fun facts about their go-to cocktail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why We Cannot Shake the Espresso Martini Signature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Cafe
The Caf\u00e9 de Paris on Via Veneto served as the primary real-world inspiration for the caf\u00e9 society depicted in Federico Fellini’s 1960 masterpiece<\/a>, La Dolce Vita. it was the preferred watering hole for stars like Audrey Hepburn, Marcello Mastroianni, and Anita Ekberg, as well as the birthplace of the modern paparazzi culture that the film satirized.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The three beans have become the universal identifier for the drink. When we go against the grain and omit them, guests question if the drink was even prepared correctly and even feel slighted. Here\u2019s how the beans began serving as a visual signature, starting with an entirely different drink — Sambuca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Italian Connection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Film
Filming La Dolce Vita<\/a> in 1959, Rome. (Photo courtesy of Arturo Zavattini \/ John Kobal Foundation via Getty Images, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Using coffee beans as a garnish for Sambuca became a standardized element of Italian caf\u00e9 culture in the mid-20th century. The global fascination with Italian caf\u00e9 culture<\/a> and its associated rituals was significantly amplified by Federico Fellini\u2019s 1960 film, La Dolce Vita. The movie portrayed a glamorous, sophisticated lifestyle centered around Rome\u2019s Via Veneto, promoting caf\u00e9 culture as an escape for the leisure class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to cocktail lore, the practice of putting beans in a drink became a sensation during the filming. The story goes that several of the film’s stars were drinking Sambuca at a caf\u00e9 on the Via Veneto. One of them jokingly dropped a coffee bean into another person’s glass and shouted, “C’\u00e8 una mosca!” (There is a fly!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This prank reportedly caught on with the socialites and paparazzi surrounding the production, helping to popularize the garnish as a symbol of the indulgent lifestyle depicted in the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Garnish Migration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Sambuca
In parts of Italy, people ask for a Molinari<\/a> rather than a Sambuca. The Molinari family basically invented the modern commercial category in 1945 and fueled the La Dolce Vita era on Via Veneto<\/a>, the brand name has become synonymous with the spirit itself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to 1983 London, and we have Dick Bradsell at the Soho Brasserie<\/a> in London inventing the first iteration of the espresso martini, or as it was known at the time, the \u201cVodka Espresso<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bradsell did not initially include the three beans as a mandatory garnish. As the drink gained global popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, bartenders began incorporating the Sambuca tradition to emphasize the coffee profile of the cocktail. Sambuca is a clear, anise-flavored liqueur, but it is rarely served without some form of coffee accompaniment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roasted Beans Anchor the Espresso Martini Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Filtering is arguably the most important step for an espresso martini<\/a>. Filtering catches ice and breaks up larger air bubbles, resulting in a much finer, denser, and more velvety foam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The callback to glamorous days gone by and the sheer sensibility of adding roasted coffee beans to an espresso-based cocktail perfected the drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Functionally, the beans\u2019 roasted coffee scent hits right as the guest lifts the glass<\/a>. Without them, the initial scent is dominated by vodka. The beans also act to test the mixologist. If the foam is too thin, the beans will sink. Lastly, they lend a visual contrast against the pale tan foam of the cocktail for an elevated aesthetic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three beans also hold a deeper meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religious and Folk Origins of the Three-Bean Garnish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"An
There’s an ancient Roman belief<\/a> that even numbers were unlucky because they could be divided, whereas odd numbers represented unity and the divine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Italian culture, the three coffee beans are both a garnish and a ritualistic element known as la mosca (the fly). To understand the three beans through the lens of Italian tradition and superstition, one must look at the specific numeric, religious, and folk meanings attached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Numeric Superstition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"An
This eight-bean espresso martini is a curse, not a cocktail. Serve only at funerals. Or better yet, remove one bean to honor the Seven Hills of Rome<\/a> (Sette Colli di Roma<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Italian folk belief, even numbers are frequently associated with bad luck, mourning, or incompleteness. Conversely, odd numbers are viewed as auspicious and protective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three is regarded as the perfect number (il numero perfetto<\/em>) in Italian culture, signifying balance and a beginning, middle, and end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving a guest a drink with two or four beans is considered a social slight (or, perhaps, the most artful way to shade bad customers.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Triad of Blessings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Chiesa
A fresco found at Chiesa Maria Santissima Immacolata in Scilla, Italy<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When a bartender or host places three beans in the glass, they bestow three specific wishes upon the drinker. The historical triad consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n