Expresso Martini

Features

Combining the bitterness of coffee, the sweetness of liqueur, and the warmth of vodka, this cocktail is often consumed as a digestif or "evening cocktail" for its energizing effect.

It is one of the official cocktails of the IBA (International Bartenders Association).

Classic Recipe: Shaker or Spoon? Pour 5 cl of vodka, 3 cl of coffee liqueur, and a hot short espresso (3 cl) into a shaker with ice. You can add 1 cl of cane sugar syrup to taste (for those who like their coffee sweet). Shake vigorously with ice, strain into a Martini glass, and garnish with 3 coffee beans for the eyes. The creamy foam on top comes from the emulsion created in the shaker between the espresso and ice.

Background

Created in the early 1980s by Dick Bradsell, a famous London bartender often referred to as “the godfather of modern mixology” in the UK, at London's Soho Brasserie.

According to Bradsell himself, a young model came into the bar and asked him, "Something to wake me up, and then fuck me up." Bradsell then mixed vodka, coffee liqueur (Kahlúa), and a freshly drawn espresso, creating a cocktail that was both energizing and boozy.

Bradsell originally called it Vodka Espresso. In the 1990s, with the popularity of cocktails served in martini glasses (unrelated to the actual Martini), the name became Espresso Martini.