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Espresso Martini
Likened to a Vodka & Red Bull for the discerning, the caffeine-loaded Espresso Martini consists of generous shots of vodka and espresso with coffee liqueur...1st April at 02:39
This is the most riffable cocktail there is. Here's my twist:
2 oz vodka or bourbon
1.5 oz espresso
0.75 oz Licor 43
0.5 oz heavy cream (optional)
You can make four versions of this cocktail by swapping the spirit and adding or bypassing the cream.
2 oz vodka or bourbon
1.5 oz espresso
0.75 oz Licor 43
0.5 oz heavy cream (optional)
You can make four versions of this cocktail by swapping the spirit and adding or bypassing the cream.
1st February at 15:17
My tweaks based on this lead me to 1oz each Ketel One, Vanilla Vodka, Mr Black, shot of fresh espresso (1.5 oz), shaken aggressively for as much foam as possible, discarded lemon twist now a necessity. Also good splitting the coffee liqueur with Averna, a touch of crème de cacao, and an orange twist.
27th November 2024 at 00:53
Tried different version and prefer the 1 oz Vodka, 1 oz Galliano, single shot strong espresso version. You don’t want to be able to see through the drink.
3rd October 2024 at 01:28
Great cocktail - I really like these ratios for an strong espresso flavor without overwhelming sweetness. I used Cafe Granita, which is a pretty sweet liqueur. If I used my Mr. Black I'm betting I'd want some demerara syrup.
4th May 2024 at 16:01
When I worked in Ingestre Place, near Old Compton Street, in the 80s, I heard that the model was Marie Helvin.
7th May 2024 at 07:11
Thanks, James. I've added Marie Helvin's name above as is the most probable I've heard suggested.
5th April 2024 at 17:13
A great recipe. Tried a version where I refrained from adding the syrup as many suggested but did substitute 2/3 of the vodka with Vanilla vodka...it added the essence of sweetness without being cloying.
17th February 2024 at 15:33
I made a “fancy” version with 2 types of Vodka and 3 syrups… I’m not sure why, but sooo many people like it more than the “normal” recipe.
1oz. Rye-based Vodka
1oz. Barley-based Vodka
1 oz. Espresso
1/2 oz. Kahlúa
1/2 oz. Syrup:
60% Simple
20% Demerara
20% Cinnamon OR Vanilla
Salt (pinch or 2 drops Saline)
I love it.
1oz. Rye-based Vodka
1oz. Barley-based Vodka
1 oz. Espresso
1/2 oz. Kahlúa
1/2 oz. Syrup:
60% Simple
20% Demerara
20% Cinnamon OR Vanilla
Salt (pinch or 2 drops Saline)
I love it.
13th February 2024 at 16:44
Amazing drink but imho needs some sugar syrup. I’ve made this drink for many people and 95% preferred it with some sugar… amount, well that’s down for you, I like 10 mls of vanilla sugar syrup. Def down to personal taste
28th September 2023 at 13:35
Out of necessity (read: that's what I had in the house at the time) I made this with Borghetti rather than Kahlua or Galliano and boy, it did work well!
9th August 2024 at 01:37
Borghetti is excellent for it, but the sugar syrup is a must in that case. We used to use Borghetti at work, but it was too bitter for general tastes (the public eh?) so we switched to Kahlua.
4th September 2023 at 20:32
I've made this with 1 ml of Crème de Cacao for some added sweetness/cacao & vanilla flavor.
6th September 2023 at 13:53
* 1 cl of course :P ^^
3rd September 2023 at 13:19
I used Ararat 5 year old brandy (I'm not a big vodka fan), Luxardo Espresso and 5 ml of maple syrup for this one, it was pretty tasty.
24th May 2023 at 15:41
i got onces expresso martini served with 5 coffee beans..thats wrong right?
25th May 2023 at 06:46
A pile of coffee beans is becoming the new norm - sadly not the 3 beans standing for health, wealth and happiness that used to be standard. Many bars have also dropped the fresh espresso coffee in favour of concentrate from a carton.
15th March 2023 at 17:40
I agree with the salt edition, even with my preferred spirit in this drink - Nardini Mandorla (intense, almond-flavoured grappa variant) Also the better the espresso, the better the drink. Even with Mr Black, sugar syrup is a no-no and ‘Nespresso’ doesn’t really cut it either!
10th January 2023 at 08:32
I made one for a good friend this evening and after a little experimentation she preferred a little more Kahlua. 3 cl was perfect.
10th January 2023 at 05:47
Made with Hangar 1 vodka and Revolution Chocolate and Coffee liquor. I was surprised that the vodka was so prevalent. I expected the espresso to overpower. It is more like a martini than I expected. I will try some other favorite vodkas, do not be afraid to use the good stuff as it will shine through.
23rd March 2024 at 23:13
If you want to try other vodkas, Absolut Rasberri is amazing in this.
19th August 2022 at 17:15
I like making mine with cognac rather than vodka because to my palette vodka has harsh aftertaste that I always detect.
22nd July 2022 at 19:45
classic
22nd May 2022 at 14:38
This is my all time fav cocktail so I love playing with it. This time I used vanilla vodka and Patron XO Cafe Dark. Deeeeelish!! ?
6th March 2022 at 19:57
Much better proportions than equal parts. For Kaluha and the best espresso coffee you can buy (Curious Roo if you really want to know) the sugar syrup addition suggested does elevate it
6th March 2022 at 12:32
A sensational version comes from Dishoom restaurants - the Monsoon martini. Uses honey instead of sugar syrup and Ancho Reyes chile ancho liqueur instead of coffee liqueur, as well as Black walnut bitters. It's the best use I've found yet for Ancho Reyes, for sure. Simply outstanding!
22nd December 2021 at 06:11
Used Kahlua so no need for extra sugar syrup. Added tiny amount of salt -a few grains, way less than one eighth of a teaspoon and this was ever so slightly too much salt, but drinkable. The salt really lifts this cocktail
22nd December 2021 at 07:53
Agreed, salt really helps this cocktail. Using saline solution from a dropper bottle makes it easier to control the amount of salt you're adding.
2nd October 2021 at 17:13
Perfect with a lemon shortbread.
Anonymous
17th August 2021 at 19:19
ive gone down the 30/30/30 route.
mr blacks instead of kahlua. kahlua has more sweetness in it so I add a dash of demerara sugar syrup .
also partial to a dash of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract .
mr blacks instead of kahlua. kahlua has more sweetness in it so I add a dash of demerara sugar syrup .
also partial to a dash of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract .
5th January 2022 at 14:29
The equal parts recipe works better with Mr Black (incidentally my favourite coffee liqueur by far) as Mr Black is very low in sugar, very coffee-forward, and vodka-based - so the recipe above ends up with a bit too much vodka, too little liqueur, so to speak. BUT the touch of salt and lemon oils really make a difference and I do use this trick in my equal-parts Mr. Black espresso martinis as well.
Anonymous
1st August 2021 at 16:23
I love it in Winter but I prefer cream to sugar syrup and dark chocolate (salted) beans . The lemon.. really finishes this cocktail for me so - Unwaxed, fully ripened and aromatic .I freeze them ahead of time:) If I could I would put a cap on my lemon twists to have a nibble mid way, they make such a good pairing.. kahlua vodka and the lemon
11th April 2021 at 06:23
I don't drink espresso but really wanted to try it with my french press and high quality maragogype coffee.
I poured the hot water on the ground coffee, gave a good stir and scooped a some créma (which is more of a foam here) and put it in the shaker with the coffee. Yes there was ground coffee as well, but it didn't go into the glass because of the strain. The cocktail was surprisingly balanced (no sugar/salt) with a nice layer of créma which held the beans with assurance. A wonderful drink.
I poured the hot water on the ground coffee, gave a good stir and scooped a some créma (which is more of a foam here) and put it in the shaker with the coffee. Yes there was ground coffee as well, but it didn't go into the glass because of the strain. The cocktail was surprisingly balanced (no sugar/salt) with a nice layer of créma which held the beans with assurance. A wonderful drink.
10th April 2021 at 00:34
The video recipe is better than than as posted. Lemon and simple syrup with salt are the bomb.
12th January 2021 at 21:43
Try vannila vodka instead and add 1/2 oz of Baileys with everything as listed..pretty good.i think ill make one tonight!
13th January 2021 at 08:37
Perhaps also try a Mocha Martini with Irish cream liqueur and bourbon.
31st December 2020 at 18:26
The hot coffee worked for me but I could not get the foam top. I note that the video has sugar syrup in the ingredients - is this the ingredient that makes the difference?
7th January 2021 at 18:24
The foam comes from the coffee's crema so should not be related to use or not of sugar syrup. A good hard shake and good quality ice (not watery) is also key.
28th December 2020 at 14:52
ok this didnt work for me as the ice melted too quickly due to the hot espresso and resulted in a rather unpleasant
weak watery concoction
im m going back to cold brew
salt was a nice add though
weak watery concoction
im m going back to cold brew
salt was a nice add though
Don't let Simon trick you into thinking you can only make this hot espresso, I have used cold moka and still get plenty of foam (and that starts with effectively no crema). There is a nice benefit though of additional dilution using the hot, which to me is a positive for the high alcohol version.