Fads come and go, but you can't argue that some have an extra sprinkle of staying power that keeps them around. I think it's safe to say that espresso martinis have fallen firmly into that category.

What only a few years ago would have been reserved as the punchline for a joke about someone being stuck in the 90's has transcended its stigma of being a drink most commonly enjoyed by middle-aged spinsters and become quite the household name, and I'm all about it.

I'm not alone in the espressotini love, either. Hailey Burke, General Manager at Bar Raval says that the Little Italy spot hopes the trend is here to stay.

"We don't have one on our menu but it's probably the most popular classic cocktail ordered here," which the bar spices up by adding house made coffee liqueur and a Palo Santo tincture spray, Hayley tells blogTO.

Ryan Ringer, a partner at Grey Tiger, agrees with Hayley, telling blogTO that the espresso martini is here to stay "so long as it continues to inspire inventive bartenders and adventurour drinkers alike."

"It's a fun drink template to play with," Ryan says. "Quality ingredients and techniques will continue to drive creativity as well."

So, what is it about the espresso martini that has drinkers in Toronto so hooked? The city's bartenders have a number of theories.

Alfred Siu, owner of Bloorcourt's Overpressure Club, who rotate their cocktail menu frequently but have featured espresso martinis topped with dalgona foam in the past, argues that espresso martinis quite simply "taste awesome!" 

Hayley Burke thinks the espresso martini revival is a sign of a much larger movement on the cocktail scene.

"90s cocktails are really making a comeback," she says, adding that Raval also currently has "a riff on an Appletini on [their] menu," alongside an insurgence in popularity for Sex and the City-esque cocktails like Pornstar Martinis and Cosmopolitans.

Ryan Ringer, who incorporates coffee-tinged house-made vanilla amaro and chocolate bitters into the espressotini at Grey Tiger, thinks there are many factors behind the drink's huge popularity.

"Popular cocktail lore says this drink was created for a guest who requested something to 'wake me up, then f*ck me up,'" he tells blogTO. "That's definitely a big part of its appeal."

There's also the matter of the Instagrammability of the drink which, "if made right," according to Ryan, "looks cute," which goes hand-in-hand with the dessert-y factor, offering a boozy alternative for anyone craving a sweet treat after dinner.

"Part of its popularity may also parallel the rise of quality coffee," he adds, and judging by the spread of cafe-and-cocktail houses in the city, like 915 Dupont, he could very well be on to something.

If there's one thing that all three bars and me (a self-proclaimed espresso martini connoisseur) can agree on, it's that espresso martinis are here to stay, and we couldn't be happier.