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Ingredients
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Cocktail
Equipment
Method
Preparation
- 1
Chill glass
Place a martini or coupe glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes or fill with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to ensure the drink stays cold.
- 2
Brew espresso
Brew 1 ounce of fresh espresso. If you don't have an espresso machine, make very strong coffee. Allow the espresso to sit 30–60 seconds to reduce extreme heat — it should still be warm to help create a good foam when shaken.
Mixing
- 3
Combine ingredients
Add 2 oz Tito's vodka, 1 oz Kahlúa, 1 oz warm espresso, and 0.5 oz simple syrup to a cocktail shaker.
- 4
Add ice
Fill the shaker with plenty of ice (about 1 cup) to chill the mixture rapidly and create dilution necessary for balance.
- 5
Dry shake (optional)
For a thicker crema, first shake the ingredients vigorously without ice for 8–12 seconds (dry shake). This helps emulsify the espresso and produces more foam.
- 6
Wet shake
Add ice (if you dry-shook) or proceed if you already added ice, then shake the cocktail vigorously for 12–18 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold and the mixture has a frothy texture.
- 7
Double strain
Open the shaker and strain the cocktail through a cocktail strainer and optionally a fine mesh strainer into the chilled martini or coupe glass. Double-straining removes small ice shards and creates a smoother texture.
- 8
Garnish and serve
Garnish with three coffee beans placed on top of the foam. Serve immediately.