An espresso martini is delicious outside on the terrace, but even better when you make it yourself at home.
With this espresso martini recipe, you’ll blow your party guests away (and have the perfect excuse to fire up your espresso machine again in the evening).
Table of contents:
Espresso martini ingredients
Ingredients for making 1 espresso martini:
- 36g espresso (double shot)
- 30 ml vodka
- 15 ml chocolate liqueur
- 15ml sugar syrup (read how to make this below)
- pinch of sea salt
- 3 coffee beans (to garnish)
Supplies needed to make espresso martini:
- Ice cubes
- Cocktailshaker
- Small sieve
- Scale or bar jigger
- Espresso martini glass
Sugar syrup is really easy to make. Briefly boil a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water. When it has cooled down, you can use it immediately in the espresso martini recipe.
Espresso martini recipe
Espresso martini recipe: here’s how to make it yourself:
1. Make a double espresso as you usually would.
2. Put a handful of ice in the cocktail shaker.
3. Add the espresso, vodka, liqueur and sugar syrup.
3. Don’t forget the pinch of sea salt!
4. Shake the cocktail shaker vigorously so that everything gets cold and a layer of foam forms.
5. Pour the drink through a strainer into your glass. You should now have a nice layer of foam at the top.
6. Garnish with the three espresso beans
7. Cheers!
Espresso martini recipe variations
You can vary the proportions in our espresso martini recipe to taste. For example, try using more or less espresso, or swapping out the liqueur or coffee beans you used for a different kind.
Other variations include swapping chocolate liqueur with coffee liqueur and swapping vodka with Cointreau.
Finally, some people swear by garnishing their espresso martini with some lemon zest. Also fun to try.
Tips for how to make espresso martini
Here are a few tips to make your espresso martini even more of a show-stopper:
1. Refridgerate your glass
Putting your espresso martini glasses in the fridge beforehand will keep your drink cold for extra long.
If you put your glass in the fridge 10 minutes before making your espresso martini, it will have cooled down enough when you want to serve it.
2. Use fresh espresso
The fresher the espresso, the better the outcome of your espresso martini recipe.
If you want, you can let the espresso cool for a while after brewing, but don’t overdo it. If you use enough ice cubes while shaking, things won’t heat up all that quickly.
FAQ about espresso martini
In this recipe, I chose chocolate liqueur because I wanted to put the focus on the fresh and well brewed espresso
Often, coffee liqueur can totally overpower the espresso, which is such a shame. Chocolate liqueur actually enhances the espresso (especially when combined with our Brazil beans) and adds something creamy without being overpowering.
A standard Espresso Martini glass is a martini glass with a capacity of 150-200 ml, usually around 175 ml. This provides enough room for the cocktail (around 90-120 ml) as well as the foam. Classically, the glass is V-shaped. The Espresso Martini is served without ice!
Should you use a larger glass and really want to fill the espresso martini to the brim, you can of course adjust the quantities, as long as you keep the proportions as in the espresso martini recipe.
While shaking your espresso martini, air enters the drink. This is what creates the recognizable foam layer.
Are you missing the foam layer? Then you probably didn’t shake long enough or hard enough.
Funnily enough, an espresso martini does not really count as a martini because it does not contain gin or vermouth.
The three beans on top of the espresso martini are said to symbolise health, wealth and happiness.
This stems from the Italian custom of serving three coffee beans on top of a sambuca. Of course, it also provides a nice contrast on top of the foam layer and allows you to check whether the foam is firm enough.
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