Let's Make an Espresso Tonic

The hardest sell in specialty coffee isn't convincing someone to try something new. It's convincing them that the version they tried somewhere else wasn't actually the real thing. Espresso tonic has a reputation problem. Most cafes dump a burnt shot into Schweppes and call it done. The drink tastes like regret with bubbles. But when you float properly extracted espresso over decent tonic - light roast, bright acidity, that little twist of citrus oil across the surface - it's not even the same beverage. Koppi Roasters figured this out in Sweden back in 2007. The bitterness of tonic against a clean, fruity shot creates this contrast that shouldn't work but does. The version most people have tried isn't espresso tonic. It's just evidence that someone didn't care enough to get it right.