Mangrove Global has opened entries for the Espresso Martini Challenge 2026. It is the first UK edition of a competition now in its second global year, and it gives British bartenders a route onto the international stage with a trip to the legendary Bar Convent Berlin.
The challenge is to re-create Britain’s favourite modern cocktail – the infamous Espresso Martini.
Entrants are asked to submit an original Espresso Martini recipe using Fratelli Branca’s Caffè Borghetti, with method and photo, by 16 August 2026. Finalists are shortlisted on the strength of their recipe and compete live in London in September, judged on speed, technique, presentation, consistency with the recipe and a visible Borghetti pour – the same criteria used at the international final.
The UK winner will carry that title to Bar Convent Berlin, widely regarded as the drinks trade’s most important annual gathering, to represent the UK against other market winners for the title of global champion.
Nick Gillett, Managing Director of Mangrove Global, who are the UK distributor of the Fratelli Branca portfolio, said:
Caffè Borghetti earned its place in the Espresso Martini decades before the cocktail became fashionable again, and this challenge lets the UK’s bartenders prove it. Sending a British finalist to Berlin is a serious statement of intent for the brand here.
The timing plays to a cocktail already dominating British bars. Once a niche, late-night order, the Espresso Martini has become one of the country’s most requested serves, with orders almost doubling over the past two years.
Caffè Borghetti, first produced in 1860 to keep Italian railway workers alert, is still brewed from real Arabica and Robusta espresso in giant moka pots rather than blended from coffee extract. The result is a liqueur with genuine roasted intensity, dark chocolate and vanilla running through a bittersweet espresso finish, exactly the depth a modern Espresso Martini rewards.
Nicola Olianas, Global Export Head of Advocacy and Ambassadors at Fratelli Branca, said:
Caffè Borghetti has always been about real coffee character rather than a shortcut. Watching bartenders push that flavour in new directions and then carry it to Berlin, is exactly what this challenge was built for.
Entries are open the competition is open to bartenders and hospitality staff aged 18 and over working in the UK. To find out more visit https://espressomartinichallenge.co.uk/