Cocktails › After Dinner › Espresso Martini
Espresso Martini
ShakenAfter Dinner7 Min
Yield: 1 Cocktail
The after dinner drink that wakes the table back up. The secret is no secret at all: fresh espresso, a violent shake, and a glass cold enough to hold the foam. Three beans on top, always three.
Vodka
2oz / 60ml
Espresso
1 shot
Liqueur
0.5oz / 15ml
Ingredients
- 2oz (60ml) vodka
- 1oz (30ml) fresh espresso, pulled warm
- 0.5oz (15ml) coffee liqueur
- 0.25oz (7.5ml) simple syrup
- A small pinch of salt
- 3 coffee beans, for garnish
- Plenty of ice
Method
- Pull the espresso shot last, once everything else is ready.
- Add vodka, warm espresso, coffee liqueur, syrup, and salt to a shaker filled with ice.
- Shake as hard as you can for 15 seconds. The foam is built here.
- Double strain into a chilled stemmed glass and rest three coffee beans on the foam.
Tip: Warm espresso foams best. If the shot sits and cools, the crema thins out and the top looks tired.
Variations
- Reposado Espresso Martini. Swap the vodka for reposado tequila. The drink turns warmer with a soft agave edge under the coffee.
- No machine version. Strong cold brew concentrate stands in for espresso. Shake it a few seconds longer to build the foam.
Questions
Why is my Espresso Martini flat on top?
Two usual suspects: the espresso was pulled too early and went cool, or the shake was too gentle. Fresh shot, full ice, hard shake, and the foam shows up.
What do the three beans mean?
Tradition borrowed from sambuca service in Italy: three beans for health, wealth, and happiness. Even numbers are said to be bad luck, so three it is.