Espresso Martini Cocktail Recipe
Vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso shaken to a glossy foam. A caffeinated classic.
- Category: New Era Drinks
- Glass: Martini glass
- ABV: 20%
- Difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Vodka50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Coffee liqueur20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Espresso30 ml (1 oz)
- Simple syrup10 ml (0.3 oz)
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard to build foam.
- Double-strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Float three coffee beans on top.
Garnish
Three coffee beans
What it tastes like
The sweetness is pronounced and there is roasted coffee in it.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
The conical martini glass. Made for drinks served without ice — the stem keeps your hand off the bowl and the cone funnels the aroma upward.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Vodka
- Vodka brings body and alcohol rather than flavour; its job is to get out of the way of everything else. Which is why, in a vodka drink, how fresh the juice is matters far more than the brand.
- Coffee liqueur
- Coffee liqueur. It is not a stand-in for coffee — it is very sweet and low in caffeine; in drinks with espresso the two are used together, not instead of each other.
- Espresso
- Freshly pulled espresso. Cold coffee will not foam — the crema on top of an espresso martini comes from hot espresso hitting ice in the shaker.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
The Story
Created by London bartender Dick Bradsell in the 1980s for a model who wanted to 'wake up and then mess around'.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Espresso Martini mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a martini glass.
- How strong is a Espresso Martini?
- Roughly 20% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Espresso Martini be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Espresso Martini hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Coffee in a dream
759 recipes in your pocket
Cocktails and mocktails from 55 countries — ingredients, steps and the story behind each drink. Works offline too.
Similar recipes
Collections
Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.