There’s a lot more to salted caramel than meets the eye. I honestly thought that when researching the topic I would find out it was created due to the indulgent needs of a French Monarch, a little Geoffrey of a prince who just wanted everything all at once,

“Sacré bleu! Give me something simultaneously savoury and sweet! MERCI BEAUCOUP!”

And yes, that was my entire vocabulary of high school French.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much history at all. It was only created in the late 1990s by a Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé. That’s right, salted caramel is a 90’s kid.

So more research, why is salted caramel so addictive?

Due to our hunter-gatherer ancestors – we instinctively prefer sweet-tasting high-energy foods compared to bitter-tasting poisonous foods. The sweetness indicates energy, and salt is a necessary mineral for the body’s water balance and blood circulation. So you combine the two, and in return get two very happy biological responses. Your stomach then continues to get overwhelmed by the excitement, like the mastermind kid in the Old El Paso add who decides that ‘both’ is the best option, and sends happy signals to your brain creating a reward circuit.

It’s not your fault, you’re biologically predisposed to be hopelessly addicted to salted caramel. Think of it as nutritional efficiency.

So! Now that we have an excuse:

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini

So you get the amazing duo, then add it to another stunning duo of coffee with alcohol and you pretty much get something to which I would go as far as saying is best described as: ‘Nectar of the Gods’

For those playing at home:

45ml Stoli Salted Karamel Vodka
15ml Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
30ml Little Drippa Cold Drip Coffee

1. Add ingredients to boston shaker and fill with ice.
2. Shake until your arms hurt, or around 20 seconds will do (I find the more I shake, the fluffier the martini)
3. Double strain into a coupette, or wine glass, or whatever is handy. If you put it in a mug, it makes it socially acceptable to consume before 10am.
4. Garnish with 3 coffee beans (no more or no less, I’m superstitious)
5. Voilà!

And if you don’t know what a boston shaker is:

Or alternatively, refer to recipe below for a boston shaker free substitute.

120ml Milk (can come from a cow, soy bean or nut.)
60 ml Stoli Salted Karamel Vodka
Tim Tam (whichever flavour you so desire, I went with coconut cream, just to be fancy)

1. Fill a short glass with ice
2. Add vodka and milk, you can change up the measurements to taste… sometimes I do a cheeky vice vera.
3. Garnish with Tim Tam.
4. Then once you’ve finished staring at the glory before you, bite both ends of the Tim Tam to create a straw, also known as a ‘Tim Tam Slam’. For more in depth instructions for this step and fun facts, click here.

Happy drinking!

Prost!

ps. If you like looking at pictures of delicious cocktails – @cocktailsofmelbourne 😉