An Espresso Martini perfectly balances sweet and bitter flavors with vodka, coffee liqueur, fresh espresso, and simple syrup. Try it today!
This coffee cocktail is the perfect before or after-dinner drink for the coffee lover in your life. Check out my Drink Recipes Catalog for more classic shaken cocktails, like a Manhattan or Cosmopolitan, as well as other boozy favorites plus non-alcoholic drinks for any occasion!
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Sabrina’s Espresso Martini Recipe
This recipe is perfect for a cocktail party or dinner party with friends. You can also make it after dinner, making dessert a little more special. Even if you’re new to mixology, this boozy caffeinated drink is easy to make. After making some espresso, it’s a simple matter of shaking the ingredients together and serving. The whole recipe only takes a few minutes, and it looks and tastes incredible.
In my opinion, the best part of an espresso martini is the velvety foam on the top! It gives the drink a creamy flavor, and the cocktail foam layer is what holds up the espresso beans and allows them to float as a garnish on top of the cocktail.
Ingredients
- Vodka: This recipe uses vodka as the base spirit. We used ½ cups for the whole recipe, so you’ll have ¼ cups in each drink. You can use any of your favorite vodka brands. I like using vodka with slightly sweet notes because it blends with the rich coffee flavors and highlights the taste of the Kahlua.
- Kahlúa coffee liqueur: This coffee liqueur is an excellent source of flavor for the martini recipe. It’s a full-bodied liqueur with rich, sweet, slightly toasted, and nutty flavor notes. It has a sweet flavor to balance out the acidity in the coffee and vodka.
- Espresso: For the best flavor, brew fresh espresso. A dark coffee roast will give you the best flavor. The espresso will still be hot, but it’s a small enough amount that the other liquid ingredients and ice will quickly chill the drink.
- Simple syrup: Along with the sweet notes in the liqueur, the simple syrup adds a pure sweet flavor to the blend. You can also use agave syrup or honey to replace simple syrup.
How to Make
Time needed: 5 minutes.
- Brew
Brew ¼ cup of good quality espresso.
- Shake
Add the vodka, Kahlúa liqueur, espresso coffee, and simple syrup to your cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until blended and chilled.
- Strain
Strain the drink from the cocktail shaker into two martini glasses.
- Garnish
Top each glass with coffee beans. Place the espresso beans gently on top so that they don’t sink.
- Serve
Serve the martini right away while it is perfectly chilled.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 2 tablespoons Kahlúa , coffee liqueur
- 1/4 cup espresso , freshly brewed
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup
- 8 coffee beans
Instructions
- Add vodka, Kahlúa, espresso and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Strain into two martini glasses.
- Top with coffee beans gently.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Origins of Espresso Martini
Although an Espresso Martini is now a basic cocktail that you’ll find on any cocktail bar’s menu, it’s actually a pretty recent invention. The drink was first created in 1983 by the bartender Dick Bradsell. According to the story, he created the cocktail recipe when a future supermodel asked him for a cocktail with coffee. He mixed vodka, sugar, coffee liqueur, and some fresh espresso. Just like that, the Classic Espresso Martini was born. It quickly became a modern classic, and now you can pretty much order it at any bar.
Can this be made ahead of time?
While you can brew the espresso ahead of time, I wouldn’t recommend making the actual drink in advance. For the espresso, I would use it within a couple hours of brewing for the best taste, and definitely within the same day.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Serve: This classic cocktail recipe is at its best, served fresh right after blending the ingredients.
- Store: If you want to prep the recipe in advance, you can brew the espresso coffee ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Then add the other ingredients to your cocktail ingredients and combine right before serving the Espresso Martini.
Frequent Questions
Kahlua is the coffee liquor of choice for this cocktail recipe. However, you can substitute it for another bold coffee liqueur. Tia Maria Liqueur and Kapali Coffee Liqueur are two other brand options. Or, if you want a stronger coffee flavor, try Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur.
The coffee flavor disguises some of the alcoholic taste in this cocktail. But this is still a strong alcoholic beverage. It contains two types of alcohol: vodka and coffee liqueur. Though the exact alcohol content can vary depending on the brands of alcohol you use and how heavy of a pour you have, it contains roughly the same alcohol content as two standard drinks. So, it’s definitely a sipping drink.
You don’t need fancy equipment or an extra step to create the foam. This occurs naturally when you shake the martini ingredients. The oil in the coffee combines with the air bubbles while you shake to create the foamy layer that floats to the top. To ensure your drink has a lovely foam top, shake the cocktail shaker vigorously to create the necessary air bubbles.
An espresso martini is a great drink after dinner or before getting the party started. It’s a wonderful drink to enjoy with your friends or partner in the evening.
If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use regular coffee from a pod or drip coffee maker. Or, if you don’t have a coffee machine, make some with instant coffee.
No. You should be fine to enjoy this coffee-flavored drink in the evening despite the espresso in the drink. The cocktail mix only contains about 25-40% of the caffeine in a regular espresso, so it shouldn’t stop you from sleeping.
Variations
- Baileys Espresso Martini: A delicious alteration to this drink is using Baileys Irish Cream for a sweet, creamy, slightly caramel-like flavor. You’ll still want the Kahlua in the recipe to keep the coffee flavor. So, you can use half Kahlua and half Irish cream liqueur.
- Cocoa powder garnish: Many people like adding cocoa powder garnish to this drink. Before making the cocktail, you can wet the martini glass rim with water. Then dip the rim in cocoa powder to add a layer. You can also sprinkle cocoa powder over the top of the foam. Alternatively, sprinkle with large grain sugar or cinnamon on top.
- Chocolate Espresso Martini: You can also add a little chocolate flavor to the cocktail blend by adding a couple of dashes of cocoa bitters to the cocktail shaker. You can add a little more or less, depending on your taste preferences. If you’re making this chocolate version, drizzle some chocolate syrup or Hot Fudge in the glass first.
- Vanilla Espresso Martini: You can also add a rich vanilla flavor to the blend by swapping out regular vodka for Absolut vanilla vodka. This will only add a slight vanilla flavor, but you can enhance that flavor more by using vanilla sugar syrup instead of typical simple syrup.
- Eggnog Espresso Martini: If you want to make this cocktail a festive drink fitting for the holidays, you can flavor it with Eggnog. Add 2 ounces of vodka, 2 ounces Kahlua, 2 ounces espresso, ¼ cup eggnog, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract to your cocktail strainer with ice. Shake the mixture together for 15-30 seconds. Then, strain it into two cocktail glasses. Top off with coffee beans and sprinkle on ground cinnamon if desired.
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