Espresso Martini Recipe (Simple + Easy!)

Let’s talk about how to make the best espresso martini at home! This easy 5-minute espresso martini recipe is a bold and sweet coffee cocktail with a foamy top that is a total crowd pleaser! It’s the perfect after dinner drink made with a few simple ingredients (can be made with either instant coffee or espresso!) and garnished with coffee beans. Creamy, extra-easy, and dairy free!

Our go-to (easy!) espresso martini recipe

If you’re a coffee lover like us and you’ve never tried an espresso martini, you absolutely MUST! It is rich, bold, slightly bitter and sweet, but perfectly balanced in flavor.

They’re having a moment right now, and for very good reason! There’s something so irresistible about the combination of flavors, and this classic version will forever be my favorite.

We love whipping them up before a night out on the town, or after dinner when we have friends over.

They’re super impressive looking with the dense and creamy foam on top but literally SO easy to make.

I’m talking three ingredients all in equal parts easy.

YUP. That simple.

There are lots variations out there for an espresso martini, but we love LOVE the simplicity and balance of flavors in this 1:1:1 ratio.

🌟 If it’s around the holidays one of our other favorite variations of an espresso martini is this Eggnog Espresso Martini. Made with the same ratio but with eggnog, spices, and rum instead of vodka. SO GOOD. We also adore these recipes for a Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini and Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini (both of which are dairy free)!

Fun fact: A classic espresso martini was the first proper cocktail I learned how to make at home and what I’d consider the introduction to my love of home bartending!

Can you make an espresso martini without espresso?

I say yes!

A lot of people have different opinions about this.

But based on my experience you can totally make an espresso martini without espresso. Extra strong coffee, cold brew concentrate, instant coffee, or instant espresso all work.

Some people probably think using instant coffee is not okay, but I believe that when it comes to home cooking and home bartending, sometimes you just work with what you’ve got.

Now if you were ordering an espresso martini at a bar I wouldn’t expect them to make it with anything except for espresso, but when you’re making one at home it’s a whole different story.

And honestly when given the choice I prefer instant coffee over coffee because you can make it stronger, which will more closely mimic the bold & bitter flavor of espresso.

We love this high quality organic brand of instant coffee!

How to make a perfect espresso martini at home

What bar tools do you need?

These are the tools you’ll need to make this cocktail:

• A cocktail shaker
• A strainer – if your shaker doesn’t have one built in
• Something to measure the spirits and other ingredients with – This could either be a jigger or simply some measuring spoons.

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker or a strainer, this article has some awesome solutions for missing pieces for the home mixologist.

How to make a sure you get that yummy foam on your espresso martini

Here’s a few key tips:

• Start with hot espresso or hot instant coffee.
• Use the right ratio of ingredients. The sugar in the kahlua combined with the crema from the coffee help build the foam on top. If your ingredients are too diluted the martini won’t have as lovely of a foam.
• Shake, shake, shake! Properly shaking & aerating the martini is a key step in building the foam for this drink – 30-45 seconds of vigorous shaking should do the trick.
• Make sure to pour right after shaking. As soon as you’re done shaking, strain the cocktail into glasses so the foam doesn’t have time to break down. If making 2 cocktails at a time, divide about half of the cocktail into each glass and then finish them both with what remains, since most of the foam will pour out last.

If you enjoyed this espresso cocktail we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place to get your questions answered, and helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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