I’ve only made an Espresso Martini once before this post. It was a couple of years ago for a Halloween cocktail, and since I didn’t own an espresso maker, I went to a coffee shop near my house to get some. After confusing the baristas with some very specific questions about the volume of their espresso shots, I walked home with my one tiny cup to mix with. Not much room for experimentation! The drink came out great, but I haven’t made an Espresso Martini since.
Until now. After spending a lot of time working from home during quarantine, my husband decided to invest in a nice espresso maker. And while I’ve been enjoying my lattes and espresso shots, all I could think as he unpacked it was, I can finally make Espresso Martinis!
Timing is a bit tricky with this drink. I can’t sleep after a shot of espresso, so I never order one at night. But it’s a lot of booze to be sipping with brunch. Luckily, when you have your own espresso maker, you can just do decaf! It really is a delicious dessert drink or nightcap.
A good coffee liqueur is essential for a good Espresso Martini. Two that I hear consistently good things about are Mr. Black and St. George Nola Coffee Liqueur. If you’re in the Boston area, Boston Harbor Distillery makes a fantastic coffee liqueur as well. All of these craftier liqueurs tend to be less sweet, so I add a bit more simple syrup to get the drink to where I like it. If you use something like Kahlua, you may want to stick to a lower amount.
And finally, I always assumed it would be hard to get that beautiful foam on the top of my Espresso Martini, and impossible for it to support three coffee beans so perfectly. But the espresso really does foam up nicely and creates that great layer with just a normal shake. It’s a very impressive effect!
History: The Espresso Martini was created in the late 80’s by bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in London. In his own words, “A young model who’s now famous came in and said, ‘Can you make me a drink that will wake me up and then fuck me up?’ ” I’ve heard before that the model in question was Kate Moss, but I’m not sure if Bradsell has ever actually said so.
Bradsell originally called the drink a Vodka Espresso. Dale DeGroff mentioned in a seminar I attended that Bradsell didn’t approve of using the term “martini” for his drink, as it was inaccurate. But in the 90’s, with the invention and popularity of drinks like the Appletini, French Martini, and Porn Star Martini, the term got thrown around quite loosely, and Espresso Martini has stuck.
Espresso Martini
1.5 oz. vodka
3/4 oz. coffee liqueur
1 oz. espresso
1/4 – 1/2 oz. simple syrup (depending on sweetness of coffee liqueur)
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with three coffee beans.