Espresso Martini Recipe

Chill glass

Place a Martini or coupe glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water to chill while you prepare the cocktail (about 5–10 minutes).

Brew espresso

Pull a shot of fresh espresso (about 1 oz). If you don't have an espresso machine, brew strong coffee and use 1 oz of that, cooled slightly. Let the espresso cool for 30–60 seconds — it should be hot but not scalding when it goes into the shaker to avoid excessive dilution.

Combine ingredients

Add the vodka (1.5 oz), coffee liqueur (0.5 oz), freshly brewed espresso (1 oz), and simple syrup (0.25 oz) into a cocktail shaker. Add a generous amount of ice (about 1 cup) to the shaker.

Dry shake (optional for foam)

If you want extra crema and foam on top, first shake the ingredients without ice for about 8–10 seconds (dry shake). This emulsifies the espresso and helps create a thicker foam.

Wet shake

Add the ice (if you did a dry shake, add ice now; if you didn't dry shake, ice is already in the shaker) and shake vigorously for 12–18 seconds until the outside of the shaker becomes very cold and slightly frosted. The vigorous shake both chills the drink and creates a creamy foam from the espresso.

Double strain and pour

Remove the ice from your chilled glass if you used ice water. Using the shaker's strainer, pour the cocktail into the chilled Martini/coupe glass. For a cleaner presentation and finer foam, double-strain through a fine mesh sieve into the glass to catch small ice shards and coffee grounds.

Garnish and serve

Carefully place three coffee beans on the foam in a triangle or line. Serve immediately while the cocktail is cold and the foam is intact.

If you prefer a slightly sweeter or less boozy drink, increase simple syrup to 0.5 oz or reduce vodka by 0.25–0.5 oz. Adjust to taste and repeat shaking steps for consistent foam.