An espresso martini is fairly easy to make. Mix together vodka, coffee liquor, creme de cacao, and espresso in a cocktail shaker. But if you want a nice thick frothy top to hold a 3 espresso bean garnish, we have four pro tips you need to know before you can call yourself a weekend mixologist.
Hello my friends.
What do you do when you want to have a cocktail, and you need a little pick-me-up at the same time? You have an espresso martini of course. A frothy espresso martini is the perfect drink to get your night started, or something to brighten your eyes half-way through your night. If made perfectly, there’s nice creamy foam on top where you put a few espresso beans as a garnish. If you are out on the town with friends, just don’t ask the bartender to make 23 of them... story ahead.
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23 Espresso Martinis & 3 Unhappy Bartenders
Last year we were in Grand Cayman and had a wonderful time, part of which was sitting at the Anchor & Den Bar where we met two of the bartenders, Danny and Bojan. One night we asked Danny what drink bartenders hated making the most. He said an espresso martini because there’s the extra step of brewing the espresso and waiting for it, so the total drink takes a long time, and they get backed up on making other drinks. When he had some free time, he made us one.
The next night when we were at the bar, a guy came up and ordered 3 espresso martinis for him and two girls he was with from the large convention group that checked into the hotel that afternoon. The girls loved the cocktails and started telling all their coworkers about them. Twenty minutes later, they ordered 23 espresso martinis (no lie, no exaggeration). We watched as all three bartenders hustled to make them, and I can’t say it was done with a smile. Sorry guys. Of course, our joke the next few nights was to sit at the bar and order 23 creamy espresso martinis.
When we got home to Miami, we sent a DM to one of the bartenders to get their recipe, and I’m now sharing it with you. The recipe isn’t anything too special as far as creamy espresso martinis go, but I think Danny and Bojan made it look special by the glass they put it in, and the amount of foam that was on top from them shaking it up so long. So, it’s a fairly easy recipe that you can definitely make yourself at home.
How to Make an Espresso Martini
Making an espresso martini is fairly easy. In a cocktail shaker with ice, you put in vanilla vodka (regular vodka is okay if you don't have vanilla vodka), coffee liquor (Kahlúa), creme de cacao, and a shot of espresso. Shake it and strain it into a martini glass. If you shook long enough, you will have a nice froth on top to hold 3 coffee beans as a garnish. That’s it. Pretty easy. But if you want a nice foam on top, there are a four tips below to make you look like a pro.
Can I make an Espresso Martini with Coffee?
If you are making your espresso martini at home and you don’t have espresso or an espresso machine, and you're not trying to impress anybody, just use coffee. If you’re going to make coffee especially for this cocktail, make it extra strong. Also fyi, using coffee will not give you a foamy top unless you use pro tip #4 below. By the way, the time it takes to make this coffee cocktail in the recipe card below does not include making the espresso or coffee.
4 Pro Tips for Perfect Frothy Foam on your Espresso Martini
To get a very frothy top on top of your espresso martini, you need to shake, shake, shake the mixture for a few seconds past when you think your arms will fall off (minimum 20 seconds). Be sure to use regular ice cubes, or even crushed ice, not large square "display" ice cubes. The ice needs to near-freeze all the liquid and the ice needs to break up in the shaker. If you remember ahead of time, put your empty, clean martini glasses in the freezer so they are nice and cold when you are ready to make your cocktail.
Once you are done shaking, don’t let the drink sit around. Pour it right into the chilled martini glass, put on the coffee bean garnish, and serve your cocktail. The froth is made from the drink being shaken and cold. As it warms up, the froth will start to reduce.
Espresso Martini Foam PRO TIP #1:
Using freshly brewed espresso including the crema (creamy foam that comes out of the espresso machine) is imperative to a rich foamy martini. If you want extra caffeine in your drink, you may be tempted to put in more than 1 shot of espresso. Be warned that if you add the black liquid espresso without the crema, it will dilute the mixture and you won’t get that foam top as much as you expect. If you use coffee instead of espresso, it will still taste great, but give up trying to have a nice foam top. Try a cold brew coffee which will help boost your chances.
Espresso Martini Foam PRO TIP #2:
I find that of the three alcohols, it’s the coffee liqueur (Kahlúa) and the creme de cacao that help create the froth, not the vodka. If you find that you don’t have enough froth for your liking, and can’t bear to shake it any longer, add another ½ ounce each of kahlua and creme de cacao, and shake again. That may do the trick. Also, if you don't have creme de cacao, some espresso martinis are made with some simple syrup instead.
Espresso Martini Foam PRO TIP #3:
Almost all of our drink recipes are for two people. When you are pouring drinks for two, and especially when there is foam involved, be sure to fill both cocktail glasses halfway, and then complete them. The foam will be at the end. If you pour one full drink and then the other, all the foam will be in one glass and not the other.
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Espresso Martini Foam SUPER SECRET PRO TIP #4:
OK, don’t tell this to anyone. Professional bartenders will either be mad at me for sharing this, or call it sacrilege and deny even knowing about it. But if you listen really close I can whisper it to you...
If you have trouble getting your espresso martini to foam, add a half teaspoon of aquafaba. That’s the juice that a jar of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) comes in. It doesn’t affect the flavor and will definitely ensure you have a nice frothy top that sticks around for a long time. But you didn’t hear about that from me ;)
Another option, one of our followers Michael mentioned in the comments below, is that you can use 1oz of egg whites. Either one of these options will help guarantee a nice frothy top on your espresso martini.
We brought back some other cocktails from our stay at the Anchor & Den. We’re still working on publishing some of them, but for now you should seriously check out the Bloomsbury Garden Cocktail, and let us know what you think.
Interested in more Delicious Cocktails? Here are 9 more from our collection:
- Blood Orange Vodka Soda Cocktail
- Leap Year Cocktail
- Fig Vodka Martini
- Grilled Orange Margarita
- Grilled Pineapple Mojito
- Margarita Slush with Cucumber, Honey, and Thyme
- French Martini
- Gin Violette Cocktail
- Tropical Peach Mango Rum Punch
Hopefully you learned something new today about the espresso martini and how to get a great foam head. If so, let me know in the comments below. I would love to see how making this cocktail goes for you. Share your photo when you make this martini tagging @Spoonabilities on Instagram, and leave a comment or photo on pinterest so we can see what you made. Have fun!
Cheers,
Geoffrey
Spoonabilities' official cocktail maker and drinker
How to Make the Best Frothy Espresso Martini
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Making an espresso martini is fairly easy. You need a cocktail shaker, vodka (vanilla vodka if you have it), coffee liquor (Kahlúa), creme de cacao, a shot of espresso, and some espresso beans for a garnish. The only other thing you need is some stamina to shake for 20 seconds. If you want a nice foam on top, we explain 4 pro tips to make you look like a pro.
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Ingredients
- 4oz of vanilla vodka (regular vodka if you don't have vanilla)
- 2oz of Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
- 2oz of creme de cacao
- 2oz (2 shots) espresso
Instructions
- Pour and Shake: Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake for at least 20 seconds.
- Strain in a chilled martini glass.
- Garnish: If you shook it enough, there will be enough froth on top to hold 3 coffee beans as a garnish.
Notes
Drink responsibly. If you are under the legal drinking age limit for your state or country, this recipe is not for you. Sorry.
See the full Espresso Martini recipe post above for 4 pro tips for perfect frothy foam to hold your espresso bean garnish
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Category: cocktail
- Method: cocktail shaker
- Cuisine: British
Suggested Ingredients & Equipment
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Hey there, I'm Carlos, a food and drink enthusiast, recipe blogger and 
Paul David
This is a follow up to my previous E-Mail from December 27th with apologies to this site and Geoffrey Swetz after my review Geoffrey e-mailed me and with his help and a lot of it and taking his advice I have managed to get the results the Expresso Martini I wanted a nice froth and managed to get the 3 coffee beans to float on the top,However the said mixture as the receipt states 4oz of Vanilla vodka my wife did say it was very strong so I only put 2 oz of vodka but kept the rest the same and still managed to fill 2 coup glasses. I will say 4oz is ok but for us 2oz was fine and not to much vodka over powering the drink,But it up to what taste you like.
Paul David Coyne
Absolute rubbish the claims its the best for making frothy coffee martini is fantasy,I have followed these ( his instructions ) by the book twice and you do not get a froth at all just a very fine like mist on top and I defy this person in the strongest terms possible to prove other wise,also the quanties are way out for a martini glass,best bet for people looking to make this LOOK ELSE WHERE. any comments that this works more likely to be fake.
Geoffrey Swetz
Hello Paul David,
I am sorry that the recipe didn’t work out for you. I see your comment and the one you emailed to us. I will definitely review the recipe and make some more this weekend, if not before, and see if any adjustments need to be made. You said that you followed the instructions twice. Can you tell me if you used espresso, cold brew coffee, or regular coffee? That will help me determine what went wrong, and what I need to retest/adjust.
Also, I can already tell you that most of our cocktail recipes are for 2 people (i.e. 2 martini glasses), so that is why the volume of liquid is off for one glass.
Looking forward to your reply about the espresso, cold brew coffee, or regular coffee. Meanwhile, I do thank you for trying the recipe, and, for letting us know that there might be something wrong with it.
Aaryan
Hey guys, I just tried making my first espresso martini. I used 45ml of espresso and kahlua and 30ml of vodka. Shook it for about 30 secs with crushed ice but ended up with way too much foam in my final cocktail. I used a whisky glass to serve (that’s all I had) and the foam took up pretty much half the glass. The actual drink under it tasted pretty good though. Any tips on ‘foam management’?
Geoffrey Swetz
Thanks for your comment Aaryan. If you got half foam without any help, I'm impressed. It does take a little time for the foam to separate and come to the top. However, based on what you said, I believe it's because you used crushed ice. All those ice crystals are swimming around in the foam. Try cubes next time, or a tiny bit more vodka or less kahlua. I find that somehow people using the exact same ingredients can get different results, so it's all about you individually seeing what combo work for you to say "hey, that's the perfect espresso martini". Have fun!
Jess
Love this recipe for my favorite drink! But sometimes the foam is fantastic and other times so disappointing. So I didn’t hear a thing, but my eyes are very appreciative of the last-ditch foam trick...it works on reshake! Thank you!
Geoffrey Swetz
Yes, it is often a shoot and hope for the best process. Glad you discovered the secret for when it just doesn't work the way you want.
Kim @ Three Olives Branch
LOVE the froth! One of the best parts of an espresso and most martinis do not have it. So delicious, I love serving them at parties!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Yes, they are great at parties. We will be back to big parties some day.
Ramona
Oh my! that looks like a dream and had to make the dream come true. It is now going to be a regular, one of my favourite drinks now. Absolutely delish!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
We are always happy if we can make dreams come true. Thanks Ramona!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
Since we've been stuck at home I've been making more fun cocktails at home and this one has to be next! Such great flavors in this.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
So glad this espresso martini is next on your list Julie. Home cocktail making is so much fun.
Emily
I love everything about this unique martini! The espresso flavor and the frothy top! So good!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Thanks Emily. So glad you like it. Enjoy!
Jacqui DeBono
This is such a beautiful looking cocktail, and I love anything that includes Kahlua! I must use this recipe for my next cocktail club meeting!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Cocktail club meeting? OH, I need to join that club. Hope there isn't a membership fee LOL
Alexis
This drink is delicious, we enjoyed it at recent gathering of friends and family.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
That's great Alexis. Was it a virtual gathering?
Gail Montero
I cannot believe how crazy easy this is to make! I surely can use this refreshing pick-me-up this summer!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Glad to hear Gail. We can all use a pick-me-up from time to time, and day to day.
Kay
Made this for my man last night, he is big lover of anything coffee! He said it was his new fav cocktail!!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
I am so glad your husband loves our cocktail recipe. A happy husband is a good thing.
Stine Mari
Omg 23 espresso martinis! Kept the bartenders busy for sure. These espresso martinis look amazing, and I will definitely make it soon!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Yea, it was pretty incredible. I think it took three guys about 35 minutes.
Marta
I'm so excited that I have all the ingredients to make these espresso martinis! Extra foam for me too, please!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
That is the best... finding a recipe you like and knowing you already have all the ingredients at home.
Amy Liu Dong
Such an amazing recipe you've created here. Looks really good and very enticing. I'll definitely make this at home. Thanks for sharing.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
You are very welcome Amy. Enjoy!
Lesli
You're speaking my language here! I love a good espresso, and martinis! The perfect cocktail for this long holiday weekend.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
I agree completely. You will need at least one of these in between the other drinks
Luci
I love martinis and I love espressos so this is by far my favorite martini! So full of flavor it is delicious! I can't wait to make it again!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Great to see you again Luci, and happy to hear this is by far your favorite martini. You know we made it just for you, right?
Krissy Allori
This drink looks amazing. I don't really love regular martinis but this sounds like it's right down my alley. Thanks!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Then we are walking down the same street Krissy. It's a great way to have that martini-in-hand feeling with all the smooth taste of coffee and cream.
kim
This recipe was amazing! Love the flavor and it was so easy! I'll be making this again and again!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Happy to hear you'll be making this espresso martini again and again Kim. Glad you enjoyed it.
Jordan
Your instructions and tips were incredibly helpful, delish!!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Thanks Jordan. We started with the tips and couldnt stop :)
Jere
Geoffrey, it is 9:55 am right now and I seriously would love to be sipping on this martini. Since it does look like coffee maybe I can get away with it and no one will notice I am having a martini!!!! Ok, I love the thought of frothing Kahlúa.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Absolutely! Instead of a martini or cocktail glass, put it in a coffee mug. Nobody will ever know, and I won't tell ;)
Amy
This drink is like a dream come true! It mixes the best of both worlds in one delicious drink! Yum!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
We love mashing two worlds together for a great and fun drink ;) Thanks for checking it out Amy.