Forget going to your local bar, blow your friends away with the perfect espresso martini at home! Here, we will cover the basics of the humble espresso martini with a fool proof recipe to create a cocktail your friends will always be asking for! Together we will go through the equipment needed with a step-by-step guide as well as some simple tips and tricks to get the wow factor.
So, let’s get mixing!
What is an espresso martini?
The espresso martini was first invented in the 1980’s and is credited to Richard ‘dick’ Bradsell. The story goes that he was working one night in Fred’s Club when an up-and-coming model came to the bar and asked for a drink that would 'wake me up & f*** me up.’ That night, Bradsell created what is now a staple drink featured on menus across the world. The espresso martini is made up of 4 key ingredients; Vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur & sugar – all vigorously shaken together to create a rich, boozy, caffeinated concoction that is a firm favourite for many.
The espresso martini is typically garnished with 3 coffee beans, which started from the Italian tradition of serving sambuca. Called ‘con la mosca’ or, in English 'with the fly', the floating beans represent health, wealth & happiness.
How do I make the best espresso martini?
Vodka
To make the best, you must first use high quality ingredients. Always use the best quality produce you can source within your budget. For the vodka, the best choice is a neutral tasting spirit as the coffee is the star of the show here. Ketel One or Absolut Vodka are great options as these are both clean with minimal characteristics and great texture. This makes them the perfect partner to make your coffee the statement piece in this drink.
Espresso
Arguably, the most important ingredient in an espresso martini is the espresso. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you read through our post on pulling great quality shots at home. This article highlights the importance of using great quality equipment alongside great quality ingredients. The Niche Zero & Niche Duo are both great companions for creating high quality espresso. Single dose grinders with virtually zero retention made with simplicity in mind. Single dose grinding is a great way to keep coffee fresh as you only grind what you need, when you need it. Nothing to go stale means we are starting with the best possible ingredients.
Top tip: Using fresh espresso will create a denser & silkier foam for your espresso martini as there will be more CO2. When shaken, the coffee oils combine with the air bubbles to create a stable foam capable of holding espresso beans as a garnish!
Typically for the coffee component, it’s best to use a good crowd-pleasing coffee as a base to work with. Origins like Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala and Colombia are a great starting point for this. These regions work perfectly as their profiles are usually rich and chocolatey, making them easier to work with to create a balanced and luxurious drink.
Coffee liqueur
You might think, what’s the point of using coffee liqueur if I’m already using a great espresso shot as the base. Coffee liqueurs are usually made up of some sort of sweetener, coffee, vanilla and a base spirit. The vanilla in the coffee liqueur adds richness & fullness to the drink. Mr. Black or Tia Maria Cold Brew are both great options. They’re both rich and impart a great taste to any variation of espresso martini you might want to make. Mr. Black is less sweet which gives more flexibility when balancing the final drink.
Simple Syrup
As the name suggests, simple syrups are simple. A simple syrup is a 1:1 mix of your sugar of choice and hot water. Making your own simple syrup is so easy to do and it gives you more freedom with how you want your drink to taste. To start, make a simple syrup with white sugar by mixing equal parts sugar to hot water and stir to dissolve. Using white sugar is a great starting point to gauge how you like your drink to taste. Then you can have a bit of fun with it, why not try using brown sugar or demerara – these will both add a rich, caramel note to the drink. You can even use tea to add another dimension to the drink, earl grey works particularly well with light roast, floral coffees.
Making the perfect espresso martini
So, what do I need to start making espresso martinis at home?
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Spirit measure
- Hawthorne strainer
- Fine sieve
- Coupe glass
- Lots of ice
- Freshly brewed espresso
- Good quality Vodka
- Coffee liqueur
- Simple syrup
Recipe
- 50ml high quality Vodka
- 36ml / double espresso shot
- 25ml coffee liqueur
- 5ml simple syrup
- 3 coffee beans
The building of this drink is actually very simple so grab your kit and let’s start mixing!
Firstly, chill the coupe down. Add a generous scoop of ice to the glass and let it chill out. The espresso martini is a short drink which isn’t served with ice so pre-chilling the glass keeps the drink colder for longer!
Next, pull the espresso shot. Typically for this sticking to shorter ratios like a 1:2 – 1:2.2 work best otherwise the drink could taste too diluted. If you find that your chosen coffee is tasting great at a longer ratio, feel free to try it out and see how it works!
Now comes the fun bit – mixing everything together! Add a large scoop of ice into the cocktail shaker and pour in the vodka, espresso shot, coffee liqueur & simple syrup. Put everything back together nice and tight and shake as hard as you can for 30s. Open your shaker and there should be a nice glossy foam – If not, you haven’t been shaking hard enough!
Remove the ice that’s been chilling down the glass as it’s time to pour the espresso martini. Place the Hawthorne strainer inside the cocktail shaker to hold back the larger ice and then strain this through the fine sieve. This will help create a silky foam & stop any small shards of ice from floating in the drink.
Finally, garnish with 3 coffee beans & toast to health, wealth and happiness!
Cheers!