Via iStockphoto / @cakeordeath1 TikTok
A TikToker ordered an espresso martini flight, but couldn’t believe how much it came to. Here’s what happened.
An espresso martini at a restaurant can really hit the spot after eating some great food. However, after multiple disasters related to the beverage, one Rhode Island customer isn’t so sure.
When it comes to getting espresso martinis, it can be a hit or a miss. Some servers hate making them. And in the past, some restaurants have gone viral for their terrible attempts at the drink.
After her visit to a restaurant went pear-shaped, TikTok user @cakeordeath1 took to the app to spill all about what she called, via on-screen text, “the great espresso martini debacle.”
In the TikTok, which has garnered 2,244 views, the user shared how she went to dinner with friends and ordered a martini flight. The flight included four espresso martinis with different individual flavors. The user describes how, when the server put the flight down, she knocked the table and one of the martinis split over. While she returned with napkins and cleaned up, she didn’t offer the TikToker and her friends a replacement martini, per the customer.
The server, then, according to the TikToker, came back to take the order. She says they asked about replacing the martini, and the server said she’d see if she could. Later, she returned with a fourth martini. The TikToker says she then noted that these martinis were three-quarter-sized. She also says that the vibe was “off,” and the food wasn’t that great.
But the worst part was the check. They still had to pay after the spill, and the martini flights alone cost $65. This amounts to $16.25 per drink. As the TikToker points out, it would’ve been less if they ordered four regular-sized martinis.
“I dont get it,” she adds. “65$? No.”
BroBible reached out to the TikToker via TikTok direct message.
Is $65 For A Flight Too Much?
Some servers in the comments agreed that the pricing was actually standard.
“Four espresso martinis at two of my bar jobs in Rochester NY would be $80,” one shared.
“Bartender here,” another added. “While I agree $65 is on the high end, I do agree with flights being more than individual cocktails. Tbh they’re a pain and time consuming. And you’re paying for the novelty of getting a flight.”
Elsewhere, commenters were shocked by what the TikToker described.
“Stop it right now!” a third said. “That’s an insane price for 4 mini martinis. You’re not wrong.”
A fourth wrote, “First of all she should’ve offered to replace the martini she spilled. You should never have to have asked. Secondly, her obvious lack of experience makes me think that maybe she rang you up for four of those instead of one.”
What is ‘Boozeflation’?
Arguably, the fact espresso martinis are so expensive these days may well be a result of “boozeflation.” This refers to the price of cocktails increasing in establishments.
In a 2024 article, Delish reported on boozeflation, noting that the price of espresso martinis specifically had jumped by 10%.
Speaking to the outlet, Brett Thorn, senior food editor at Nation’s Restaurant News, said that “since the end of the pandemic, [prices for cocktails] really kind of lost their minds.”
According to Noah Tracht, VP of Strategic Partnerships at F&B Insights, one reason cocktails like espresso martinis are so expensive is all down to the fact that drinking them has become a trend. “Most cocktails across the spectrum are seeing price increases,” he explained. “Changes in consumer preferences and market conditions can influence pricing trends.”
That being said, he noted that boozeflation in restaurants is in line with other menu price increases, with the exception of the espresso martini, which is higher.
The outlet also cited the rising cost of alcohol and the general rising expense of operating a business as being the main reason for these price increases.
“It can be a vicious cycle, because in order to pay your bills, you raise your menu prices, then your traffic, the number of people coming into your restaurant, is going to decrease,” he added. “And so you might harm yourself even more by raising prices more than your guests are willing to accept.”
And given espresso martinis were the third most-purchased cocktail in the U.S. in 2023, we can probably expect those prices to continue to rise.
