Espresso Tonic: James bond’s drink or simply awkward?

I imagined it was a drink out of a Bond film. “Tonic with a shot of espresso,” I said to the barista in a forced Sean Connery accent, “shaken not Shturred.”

The barista was not amused as we were not in a velvety casino riddled with gangsters, but a well lit Japanese coffee shop with an automated-register — alleviating the need for employees to converse with customers. Soon after the drink arrived, the 007 fantasy was shattered.

the first sip was awkward. Yes, the tart bite of the tonic brought out an acidic floral quality of the espresso, but combination was too extreme to be enjoyable. instead, the tonic reminded me of the lesser qualities of espresso: the acidic taste of melted copper.

Isolated the tonic and espresso were pleasant, but mixed together in the early afternoon, a simple mistake.

Who was this drink for? A venturing coffee-nut, unsatisfied with a standard black cup of coffee; or perhaps, a lapsed alcoholic seeking a weak substitute for gin.