6 of the Best Espresso Martini Cocktails and a TikTok

According to Liquor.com, the Espresso Martini isn’t a martini at all because it isn’t made with gin or vermouth. When taking a deeper dive, it seems that what we call martinis that don’t involve gin and vermouth, are nothing more than mixed drinks in a martini glass. Who knew?

Don’t think for a minute that we’re going to change our mind about martinis. Some people just don’t like the taste or flavor of gin and that’s OK. Look, we know there are purists out there and they may have a thing or two to say about how a martini should be made but that’s what test kitchens are for. Experiment with whatever you have on hand. Who knows, you may discover the next TikTok Recipe sensation and go viral.

@theroyalvizier7

The Espresso Martini ☕️ 🍸 #indmyd #cheers #happyhour #cocktail

♬ death bed (coffee for your head) – Powfu & beabadoobee

Story goes that bartender Dick Bradsell was approached by a customer stating she needed “something to wake me up and F**k me up.” That’s when he turned to the espresso coffee machine and created the chilled cocktail using vodka.

The variations of recipes have certainly made their rounds because 40-some years later, Espresso Martini cocktails are still all the rage. Even Kahlúa picked up on the trend and it has been used in drinks ever since.

Kona Pipeline Martini Recipe

Kona Pipeline Porter is made from Hawaiian-grown coffee. The brewing company was founded on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1994 by a father and son team. We all know Hawaii has some of the most beautiful shorelines so it’s no wonder Kona Pipeline Porter was inspired by Oahu’s North Shore.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Kona’s Pipeline Porter
• 1 ounce rum
• 1 ounce cold brew coffee
• 1 ounce macadamia nut syrup (Monin)
• Edible purple flower for garnish

Method

1. Combine all ingredients, except the porter, in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes
2. Shake to chill and combine ingredients
3. Double strain into a sours glass
4. Top with Kona Pipeline Porter
5. Garnish & Enjoy!

Espresso Martini Recipe

This Espresso Martini Recipe is courtesy of  Ketel One and Charles Joly; The Café Crimson

Ketel One uses carefully selected wheat where the vodka is then distilled in a copper pot and filtered over charcoal. Did you know Ketel One is named after the original copper pot still that it was created in? It was called Distilleerketel #1

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounce Ketel One Vodka
• 1.5 ounce black cherry Kenyan cold brew (below)
• .5 ounce unrefined coconut sugar syrup
• .25 ounce raspberry liqueur
• 15 drops saline solution (1:5 ratio salt to water)

For the salted-vanilla oat milk

• About 2 cups, 500 ml oat milk
• .75 teaspoon vanilla extract
• .25 teaspoon salt

For the black cherry Kenyan cold brew

• Chill 60 grams coarse ground coffee steeped in 500 ml black cherry juice in the fridge for 24 hours

Method

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well.
2. Strain contents of shaker into a chilled coupe glass.
3. Carefully layer salted vanilla oat milk on top.
4. Express oils from lemon twist and place decoratively on the rim.

Grey Goose Espresso Martini Recipe

Grey Goose started out in France somewhere in the 1990s and uses 100% traceable wheat that can be tracked from the crop all the way to the cork. The frosted bottle only knows vodka because each bottle, down to the cork, is washed with Grey Goose. One of their statements is “if you need to distill more than once, you need better ingredients.”

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounce grey goose vodka
• 1 ounce single-origin espresso
• .75 ounce coffee liqueur
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass
2. Garnish with three coffee beans

Media Noche Espresso Martini Recipe

Not sure if you knew this or not, but D’USSÉ VSOP Cognac was founded by Jay-Z, with the help of cellar master, Michel Casavecchia. If you’re unfamiliar with Cognac, it is wine-based and made from the Cognac region of France using white grapes from specific (and approved) regions and is then distilled, and finally aged for a minimum of 2 years in French Oak casks.

Ingredients

• 2 parts D’USSÉ VSOP Cognac
• 1.5 parts café Bustelo Espresso (chilled)
• .75 part simple syrup
• .5 part half & half
• .5 part coconut milk

Method

1. Add D’USSÉ, espresso, simple syrup, half & half, and coconut milk into a shaker with ice.
2. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass

Peanut Butter Espresso Martini Recipe

The Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey was born from a husband and wife team in California. Made solely from peanuts and peanut butter. It’s an ode to different backgrounds and flavors.

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounce Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
• .5 ounce coffee liqueur
• 1.5 ounce freshly brewed espresso

Method

1. Shake ingredients vigorously and strain into a martini glass.
2. Garnish with three coffee beans

Averna Sicilian Espresso Martini

Amaro Averna has been around a few (hundred) years starting somewhere in the 1860s by the Benedictine Monks. They surely took a vow of silence when asked about the recipe because it’s still secret. Luckily for us, it was eventually passed down and the recipe remains virtually unchanged from the day it was created. It is infused with herbs and has notes of orange, licorice, rosemary, and sage (plus a few more).

Ingredients

• 1 ounce Amaro Averna
• .5 ounce Espolón Blanco
• .25 ounce dark crème de cacao
• .5 ounce orgeat
• 1.5 ounce cold espresso
• 3 dashes chocolate bitters

Method

1. Shake very hard and strain.
2. Place in a large coupe
3. Garnish with coffee beans and a side dish of unsalted toasted almonds

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