Is there a building more iconic in television or film than Nakatomi Plaza? If it exists, I haven’t heard of it. Die Demanding, the 1988 Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman action film – and yes, a holiday classic – is in my heart one of the best films ever made. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were Michigan stalwarts Madcap Coffee pay homage with a signature drink that is as explosive and spectacular as the film itself.
Film buff Chris Bernstorf, manager of Madcap Coffee Parker’s Alley Cafe, helped bring the drink to life. “I’m a huge fan of Die Demanding. I also love Jake Peralta’s character on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and apparently everyone in the world loves Die Demanding,” Bernstorf tells us. “I enjoy good pop culture references and solving puzzles with drinks, so figuring out how to recreate the iconic rooftop explosion scene in a non-alcoholic drink seemed like a huge original challenge. I spent a lot of time with the steam wand thinking about how to capture this scene and how many references we could thoughtfully build into the drink.”
“I created it with my boss, Trevor Corlett. The idea and overall design was my idea, and Trevor helped bring it home with a fantastic syrup made from warming spices and a sprinkle of crushed maple candies. Our collaborator Rachael realized that the decoration also references the moment when John McClane walks on broken glass – and in this case the references run deep.”
Does this drink operate any unique or local ingredients?
We operate a custom rice paper disc from Signature Drink Labs to create our mini rooftop explosion. Working with Pege from SDL was amazing. I knew rice paper from baked cakes, but I hadn’t worked with it myself. She called me and walked me through the basics and helped me set the right thickness to achieve the look I wanted. The board reads “Yippee Ki-Yay” surrounded by a ring of our Madcap lightning bolts. When I airy up, I like to say a quick “Yippee Ki-Yay everyone.”
How did you work to balance the flavors and create the perfect flavor profile?
The syrup is truly the star. While I love fun presentations and pop culture references, the drink itself has to be delicious. I was excited to see how many people connected with the spice profile. Our Detroit location has confined capacity and is right downtown, so most of our business is grab-and-go. Many guests order Nakatomi as a drink and don’t realize that what they order here is served on fire – they just love the taste. The syrup is composed of demerara sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and anise, creating something familiar and approachable, yet layered and complicated.
What type of coffee was used in this drink?
A double shot of our espresso blend, Eureka.
Does this drink work both warm and icy? Did this influence the recipe?
Works beautifully both ways. In the iced version, we omit the maple candy to prevent it from hardening too much, but otherwise the compilation is almost identical. We didn’t have to change the recipe to make it work with ice.
Would you recommend any food pairings that could go with this?
Die Demanding – a must-have Twinkie, pairs nicely with most fall and winter baked goods.
What do people say about it?
It is connected to people exactly as we expected it to be! Die Demanding fans love spotting references, the shape of the glass, the maple candy, the Yippee Ki-Yay album, and explaining them to their friends. We’ve also reached almost universal agreement that Die Demanding is, in fact, a Christmas movie.
The flavor was also a substantial hit, especially the toasty spice profile. But the presentation is what really gets people excited. Adding a bit of cinnamon to the flame to create an explosion on the roof always produces a reaction. People film it all the time, and many claim they have never seen a coffee drink served on fire! Especially so dramatic.
It was incredibly nice to serve and connect. Nakatomi Plaza seems to be an affordable avenue for specialty coffee. A familiar spice profile, a fun pop culture reference, and plenty of craftsmanship and intention behind the scenes.
Thank you!
Nakatomi Plaza is available at Madcap Coffee locations until April 20, 2026.
