Espresso Martini

Though modern variations come in many forms, the original Espresso Martini is a simple combination of vodka, espresso, and coffee liqueur. The drink originated in the 1980s and has seen its popularity vary wildly in the decades since, from one of the most visible representations of the pre-Millennium ’tini era, to a forgotten punchline, followed by a massive resurgence in recent years, almost four decades since its first creation.

The most common telling of the drink’s origins is that the Espresso Martini was created in 1983 by London-based bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club. As the famous story goes, Bradsell was asked by a well-known model to make something that would “wake me up and fuck me up,” prompting Bradsell to create a drink that he originally called the Espresso Vodka. The original cocktail reportedly included two types of coffee liqueur, Kahlúa and Tia Maria, along with a concentrated short pull of espresso, or ristretto.

Though Bradsell, who died in 2016, became indelibly tied to the Espresso Martini, his portfolio of cocktails includes a number of drinks that have since become modern classics, like the Green Fairy, Bramble, and Treacle.

Why the Espresso Martini Works

History has a long tradition of drinks that aim to combine the potent effects of both alcohol and caffeine, whether modern classics like the Espresso Martini, the Vodka Red Bull highball craze of the mid-aughts, or even the original Four Loko. What the Espresso Martini offers, though, is a profile that doesn’t stray too far from those of many classic cocktails.

The Espresso Martini essentially follows the same template found in everything from the Manhattan to the Old Fashioned—a base spirit mixed with sweet and bitter elements in balance. Rather than using ingredients like sweet vermouth or Angostura bitters to provide the latter flavors, the Espresso Martini simply uses coffee as its bittering agent, sweetened with a touch of liqueur.

Much like a regular cup of coffee, tastes can vary widely on the ideal amount of sugar to include in an Espresso Martini. Below, we include 1/4 ounce of simple syrup in addition to the coffee liqueur, to help bring the drink in line with modern tastes. However, if you prefer a less sweet, more coffee-forward drink, you can easily omit this. 

While we also try to keep this recipe in line with Bradsell’s original style, some prefer to include a splash of milk or cream liqueur, creating something more akin to a Mudslide. It’s an easy cocktail to experiment with, and there are about as many ways to tailor an Espresso Martini to personal tastes as there are different ways to take your coffee. Play around and find which works best for you.

Preparing the Espresso

If you have an espresso machine, you can pull a short, 1-ounce shot and put it in the freezer for a quick chill. This will keep the hot liquid from melting the ice and overly diluting the drink as you shake it. If you don’t have an espresso machine, substituting cold brew concentrate is a simple hack, though it may lack some of the depth (and caffeine) of a cocktail created with fresh espresso, creating something more closely resembling an Iced Coffee Martini.

When it comes to choosing a coffee liqueur, Kahlúa has long been the standard bearer in Espresso Martinis. However, since the drink was first created in the early 1980s, a wider range of coffee liqueurs have entered the market, and options are now much more plentiful than in Bradsell’s Espresso Martini heyday. Explore some of the options, both new and old, recommended by bartenders today and find the flavor profile that works best for you.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur (usually Kahlúa)
• 1 ounce espresso, freshly brewed (or cold brew concentrate)
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• Garnish: coffee beans

Steps

1. Add vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice and shake until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with 3 coffee beans.