Espresso Martini Recipe: The IBA Coffee Cocktail

Ingredients

1¾ oz vodka
1 oz espresso freshly brewed
¼ oz coffee liqueur
¼ oz simple syrup adjust to the sweetness you like

Garnish: Three coffee beans · Ice: Served up, no ice

Method

Chill a cocktail glass in the freezer.
Brew a fresh espresso and let it cool for a minute.
Add vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur and syrup to a shaker and fill it with ice.
Shake very hard for 15 to 20 seconds to build the foam.
Double strain into the chilled glass and place three coffee beans on the crema.

Watch it made

Espresso Martini

Taste

Rich roasted coffee and gentle bitterness, balanced by sweetness from the liqueur and syrup. Velvety foam, cold and fairly strong.

History and origin

The drink is credited to Dick Bradsell, one of the most influential London bartenders of the 1980s and 1990s. The best-known story says a customer at the Soho Brasserie asked for a drink that would wake her up and keep her going, and Bradsell combined vodka with fresh espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar. The exact year and the exact words vary between retellings.

It first went by names such as Vodka Espresso, and at the Pharmacy bar in Notting Hill Bradsell served a version called Pharmaceutical Stimulant. The name Espresso Martini stuck during the martini-glass craze of the 1990s. The International Bartenders Association lists it among its New Era drinks, and in the 2020s it enjoyed a strong comeback on bar menus worldwide.

Bartender tips

Use freshly brewed espresso; its oils create the foam. Old or instant coffee gives a thin, flat drink.
Shake harder than you think: large, cold ice cubes and a long, vigorous shake make the thickest crema.
Taste before adding all the syrup; some coffee liqueurs are sweet enough on their own.

Variations

Tequila Espresso Martini (twist): Swap vodka for reposado tequila for a drier, slightly earthy coffee drink.
Espresso Martini with vanilla vodka: Vanilla vodka instead of plain vodka for a dessert-like note.