Dick Bradsell built it at the Soho Brasserie in London for a customer who asked for something that would wake her up. He first called it the Vodka Espresso; it later appeared as the Pharmaceutical Stimulant at the Match Bar, and only picked up the Espresso Martini name once the martini glass became its default serve. Bradsell gave different dates for it over the years — most often the early 1980s — so the year should be read as approximate.