Drink Up: Nine Unique Drinks We’ve Been Enjoying

Nashville Scene, July 2025

The Patterson House’s Cafe de Àtico

“Thirty years after its high point as a fern-bar classic, the espresso martini is again having a bit of a moment. Even longneck-slinging downtown honky-tonk bartenders have learned how to mix espresso, vodka and Kahlúa together to make a passable version. While The Patterson House has served many coffee-based drinks in the past, the high-end cocktail emporium wouldn’t have been the first place to go for one of those sweet treats, created as a response to a patron’s request for “something to wake me up, then fuck me up.” With this literal “Penthouse Coffee,” named after TPH’s new location on top of the Voorhees Building in the Gulch, beverage manager Alex McCutchen decided to emphasize the fruity characteristics of the coffee bean using a mixed base of vodka and sherry-finished brandy, plus fruity Byrrh Grand Quinquina aromatized red wine and a tart cranberry liqueur. The concoction is basically cold-brewed with coarse-ground Crema coffee for 18 hours before being shaken to order with a rich Demerara sugar syrup. The result is an espresso martini worthy of serving in the penthouse. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN”