Espresso Martini Recipe

Chill glass

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

Brew and cool espresso

Brew a fresh shot (about 1 oz) of espresso. If it is extremely hot, allow it to cool for 30–60 seconds so it doesn't overly melt the ice. If you don't have an espresso machine, use 1 oz of very strong hot coffee.

Measure ingredients into shaker

Add 2 oz vodka, 1 oz freshly brewed espresso, 1 oz coffee liqueur, and 0.25 oz simple syrup into a cocktail shaker.

Add ice and first shake (dry-ish)

Add a generous amount of ice (about 1 cup) to the shaker. Seal and shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds to chill and begin aerating the mixture.

Double-shake for froth

Quickly open the shaker, add a little more ice if needed, reseal and shake again very hard for another 10–15 seconds. The vigorous shaking with hot espresso initially (then chilled by ice) creates a smooth, velvety froth on top.

Strain and serve

Discard ice from the chilled glass if used. Double-strain the cocktail through a fine-mesh strainer into the chilled coupe or martini glass to remove tiny ice shards and ensure a silky texture.

Garnish

Carefully float three coffee beans on the foam as a classic garnish.

If the espresso is too hot and melts too much ice, allow it to cool slightly or dilute with up to 0.5 oz cold water before shaking to preserve froth and balance.

For a less sweet cocktail, omit or reduce the simple syrup; for more sweetness, increase up to 0.5 oz.