Nobody's Making Espresso Martinis Like This at Home. Until Now.

The espresso martini deserves better than it gets. It's been reduced to a thing people order at bachelorette parties and a thing other people make fun of people for ordering. Both groups are missing the point.

A properly made espresso martini is three ingredients doing exactly what they're supposed to do. The problem is most of them are made wrong, at home and at bars. Here's how to do it right.

Why Most Espresso Martinis Are Bad

The foam. That's the main issue. The espresso martini's signature is the layer of dense, creamy foam on top. Most recipes produce a thin, disappearing layer that's gone before the glass hits the table. Some produce no foam at all.

The foam comes from one thing: a hard, cold shake. Not a polite shake. A 15 to 20 second, ice-cold, aggressive shake that emulsifies the espresso with the air and ice. The CO2 in fresh espresso helps. Cold brew concentrate doesn't produce the same foam but gets closer than hot-brewed coffee that's been sitting for an hour.

The second issue is sweetness. Many espresso martini recipes are too sweet. They're built with coffee liqueur, added simple syrup, and whatever sweetness comes from the coffee. The result tastes like a dessert, not a cocktail. Cut the simple syrup unless the espresso is very bitter, and use coffee liqueur with restraint.

The Recipe

This makes one cocktail.

What you need: 2 ounces of quality vodka, 1 ounce of fresh espresso or cold brew concentrate, 0.5 ounces of coffee liqueur (Kahlua works, Mr. Black is significantly better), ice, cocktail shaker.

Step one: pull a shot of espresso or measure 1 ounce of cold brew concentrate. If using hot espresso, let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes but not longer. You want it just past hot so it doesn't immediately melt all the ice but cold enough to produce foam on the shake.

Step two: add all ingredients to the shaker. Fill the shaker completely with ice. More ice means colder temperature, which means better foam.

Step three: shake hard for a full 15 seconds. Harder than you think. Longer than feels necessary. This is the step most people abbreviate and it shows in the foam.

Step four: double strain into a chilled coupe glass. The double strain catches the ice chips that would otherwise disrupt the foam layer.

Step five: let the foam set for 30 seconds before placing three coffee beans on top.

The One Ingredient That Makes the Difference

Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur. It's what separates a coffee martini that tastes like coffee from one that tastes like a Kahlua-and-cream that got a little fancy. Kahlua is sweet, vanilla-forward, and has less coffee presence. Mr. Black is drier, more bitter, and actually tastes like coffee. The difference in the final cocktail is significant.

If you can't find Mr. Black, Kahlua works but reduce it to 0.25 ounces and add a small pinch of espresso powder to compensate.

The Variation Worth Trying

Swap the vodka for a good reposado tequila and reduce the coffee liqueur to 0.25 ounces. What you get is a coffee cocktail that's technically neither an espresso martini nor a tequila drink, but is better than both. The agave notes in the tequila and the natural caramel and fruit notes in 1775's single-origin play against each other in a way that vodka never achieves.