Barbenheimer Cocktail: A Grapefruit-Espresso-Tequila Explosion To End The Summer’s Biggest Debate

A few tweaks on a long-dormant coffee mocktail turns it into a boozy Barbenheimer treat. (Photo: Nespresso)

This Thursday, the premiere of two summer blockbusters promises to end the most viral debate since blue dress vs. gold dress: Barbie or Oppenheimer? Toyetic escapism or WWII tear-jerker? Mattel pink or New Mexico beige?

The comparison has inspired countless memes, songs, TikTok filters and self-indulgent brand collaborations. Expectedly, it’s also inspired a fair share of cocktails.

Doubling down on the madness, we figured we’d try our hand at a first-of-its-kind “Barbenheimer” cocktail combining both aesthetics into one. Understandably, the very idea may inspire disgust in some of our readers. The journey to our Frankenstein of a drink was a long one that first requires a deep dive into its cocktail contemporaries.

The options for Barbie-themed cocktails are endless; cranberry, raspberry, rhubarb, rosé, Aperol — and of course, when it comes to tequila, grapefruit.  Many corporate social media pages have already taken the idea and run with it. Earlier this week, The Spirits Business added fuel to the fire with its fantastic roundup of the best Barbie-inspired sippers (including one neon-blue “Just Ken” cocktail).

If you’ve been on the Internet over the past month, chances are you’ve already seen a Barbie cocktail. (Photo: Instagram/Jose Cuervo)

On the flip side, Oppenheimer-themed cocktails are even easier to drum up. Whether they’re made with whiskey, rum, aged tequila or any variety of dark-tinted liqueurs, the absence of color makes for an especially simple cocktail inspiration.

The movie’s namesake — J. Robert Oppenheimer — even coined his own signature martini mixed with gin, vermouth, honey and lime. According to historical accounts, he drank it frequently throughout the years-long construction of the atomic bomb.

Cocktails being poured up at the Oppenheimer House, 1946. A year before the official end of the Manhattan Project. (Photo: Los Alamos Historical Society)

Combining these two dissonant aesthetics is where things get tricky. What cocktail could possibly blend bright-pink sweetness with strong darkened flavor? Most importantly of all, the cocktail would need to keep its pink and brown contents separate for maximum effect, or else it would turn into an indiscernible mess.

At first, we had no luck.

There isn’t a single self-proclaimed Barbenheimer cocktail across the Internet. Raiding our liquor cabinet, we struggled to find any combination that didn’t blend into undrinkable sludge. We tried asking ChatGPT for help, but it didn’t seem to know what a “Barbenheimer” was.

After hours of scrubbing the Internet, we finally came across our knight in shining armor — a beautifully rendered Grapefruit & Thyme Coffee Mocktail courtesy of Nespresso. With a few tweaks, we were able to turn it into a boozy Barbenheimer tequila treat.

In terms of look and flavor, the end product sits somewhere between an espresso martini, Paloma and tequila sunrise. Turned on its side, it resembles melted Neapolitan ice cream with all its layers intact.

Without further ado, we proudly present:

The Barbenheimer Cocktail

(Photo: Nespresso)

Ingredients

• 40 ml Blanco Tequila
• 40 ml Nespresso Robusta Uganda (or other espresso of your choice)
• 10 ml Vanilla Syrup
• 100 ml Grapefruit Juice
• 5 Coriander Leaves
• 5 Dried Thyme Leaves

Directions

1. Pour vanilla syrup into your glass.
2. Add tequila, grapefruit juice, thyme leaves, coriander and ice cubes to a shaker and shake until chilled. Pour into glass.
3. Separately, brew your espresso. To ensure it’s cold, make it the night before and leave in the fridge or shake it with a handful of ice cubes.
4. Slowly pour your chilled coffee into the glass.
5. Decorate with a dried thyme spring and serve.

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