Espresso Martini Recipe: Easy Homemade Cocktail

Looking for an easy espresso martini recipe you can make at home? Combining fresh espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur, this classic cocktail is rich, smooth and surprisingly simple to prepare.

Coffee and cocktails are two great pleasures that work remarkably well together. The Espresso Martini has become a staple of cocktail menus, combining the bold flavour of coffee with the smooth kick of vodka.

Better still, you don’t need to visit a cocktail bar to enjoy one.

Our espresso martini recipe takes less than five minutes to make and requires only a handful of ingredients. The secret is using freshly brewed espresso and giving the cocktail a vigorous shake to create its characteristic foamy top.

Here’s how to make it.

Why you’ll love this espresso martini recipe

This espresso martini recipe is quick, simple and easy to customise:

• Ready in under five minutes
• Only a handful of ingredients
• Easy to adjust for sweetness and coffee intensity
• Can be made without specialist bar equipment
• Simple to prepare at home

Once you’ve mastered the basic technique, you can also experiment with different coffee beans, liqueurs and flavours.

Espresso Martini ingredients

For one cocktail, you’ll need:

• 50ml vodka
• 25ml coffee liqueur
• 25ml freshly brewed espresso
• 5–10ml sugar syrup, optional
• Ice cubes
• Three coffee beans to garnish

Fresh espresso is an important part of this espresso martini recipe because it provides the concentrated coffee flavour that needs to stand up against the vodka and coffee liqueur.

If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use strong, concentrated coffee from a moka pot or AeroPress instead.

Browse our freshly roasted coffee beans to find a coffee for your cocktail, or explore our coffee brewing equipment if you’re looking for another way to brew at home.

Equipment you’ll need

You don’t need a professional cocktail setup for this espresso martini recipe. You’ll need:

• Cocktail shaker or tightly sealed jar
• Espresso machine, moka pot or AeroPress
• Jigger or measuring tool
• Coupe or martini glass
• Fine strainer, optional

A proper cocktail shaker makes the process easier, but a clean jar with a secure lid can work if that’s what you have available.

How to make an Espresso Martini

Follow these five steps to make an Espresso Martini at home.

Step 1: Brew your espresso

Pull a fresh shot of espresso, aiming for around 25–30ml.

If you don’t have an espresso machine, brew a small amount of strong, concentrated coffee using a moka pot or AeroPress.

Let the espresso cool slightly before adding it to the shaker. This helps prevent the hot coffee from immediately melting too much of the ice.

If you’d like to improve your espresso technique first, read our guide on how to make an espresso.

Step 2: Chill your glass

Put your coupe or martini glass in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before making the drink.

A chilled glass helps keep your Espresso Martini colder once it has been poured.

Step 3: Add the ingredients

Add the following to your cocktail shaker:

• 50ml vodka
• 25ml coffee liqueur
• 25ml espresso
• 5–10ml sugar syrup, optional

The sugar syrup can be adjusted according to your coffee liqueur and personal taste.

For comparison, the International Bartenders Association’s official Espresso Martini recipe uses vodka, coffee liqueur, sugar syrup and a strong espresso.

Our espresso martini recipe uses slightly less coffee liqueur, allowing the freshly brewed coffee to remain prominent.

Step 4: Add ice and shake vigorously

Fill your shaker generously with ice, secure the lid and shake vigorously for around 15–20 seconds.

A strong shake chills and dilutes the cocktail while incorporating air, helping create the characteristic foam across the surface.

Shake until the outside of the cocktail shaker feels very cold.

Step 5: Strain and serve

Strain your Espresso Martini into the chilled glass.

For an especially smooth finish, double strain it through a fine cocktail strainer to catch small pieces of ice.

Allow the foam to settle across the surface before garnishing with three coffee beans.

Your espresso martini recipe is now ready to serve.

How do you get a good foam on an Espresso Martini?

The layer of foam is one of the defining features of an Espresso Martini.

Fresh coffee helps, but your shaking technique is particularly important. Shaking the ingredients vigorously with plenty of ice incorporates air into the cocktail and helps build the foam.

Make sure you:

• Use freshly brewed, concentrated coffee
• Use plenty of ice
• Shake vigorously rather than gently
• Shake for around 15–20 seconds
• Strain carefully into a chilled glass

Don’t worry if every Espresso Martini looks slightly different. The coffee, brewing method, ingredients and shaking technique can all influence the finished foam.

Tips for the best espresso martini recipe

A few small changes can make a noticeable difference to the finished cocktail.

Use freshly roasted coffee

Fresh, good-quality coffee gives your cocktail a stronger foundation and allows you to experiment with different flavour profiles.

Adjust the sweetness

Coffee liqueurs vary considerably in sweetness. Taste your chosen liqueur before deciding how much additional sugar syrup to use.

If you prefer a drier cocktail, you may not need additional syrup at all.

Chill your glass

Serving the cocktail in a chilled glass helps maintain its temperature without adding more ice and dilution.

Shake it properly

Don’t be afraid to shake vigorously. You need enough agitation to chill, dilute and aerate the ingredients.

Choose coffee you enjoy

The coffee is a major part of this drink, so choose beans with flavours you actually enjoy drinking.

If you’re unsure where to start, our guide to choosing the best coffee beans can help.

Espresso Martini variations to try

Once you’ve mastered the classic espresso martini recipe, you can start experimenting.

Vanilla Espresso Martini

Add around 5ml of vanilla syrup for a sweeter cocktail with a smooth vanilla flavour.

Spiced Espresso Martini

Add a small pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the shaker for a warming twist.

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini

Add around 10ml of salted caramel syrup for a sweeter dessert-style version.

Decaf Espresso Martini

Use freshly brewed decaf espresso if you want to reduce the caffeine content while retaining the coffee flavour.

Cold Brew Martini

Swap the espresso for a strong cold brew concentrate. The finished drink will have a different character and may produce a different foam, but it’s an easy variation to experiment with.

You can learn how to prepare your own in our cold brew guide.

Can you make an Espresso Martini without an espresso machine?

Yes.

Although freshly brewed espresso is our preferred choice for this espresso martini recipe, an espresso machine isn’t essential.

A moka pot can produce concentrated coffee that works particularly well in cocktails. An AeroPress can also make a small, strong brew suitable for mixing.

The flavour and texture won’t be identical to espresso, but you can still make an enjoyable coffee cocktail.

See our AeroPress brewing guide or stove top coffee guide for more help with these brewing methods.

Can you use instant coffee in an Espresso Martini?

You can make an Espresso Martini with strong instant coffee if that’s all you have available, but freshly brewed coffee will generally give you a more interesting flavour.

Espresso also provides the concentrated coffee character traditionally associated with the drink.

If using instant coffee, make it stronger than you would for a normal cup and allow it to cool slightly before shaking.

What’s the best coffee for an Espresso Martini?

There’s no single coffee that everyone will prefer.

A coffee with chocolate, caramel or nutty characteristics can complement the sweetness of many coffee liqueurs particularly well. However, experimenting with brighter or fruitier coffees can produce a very different cocktail.

The important thing is starting with coffee you enjoy.

Our espresso martini recipe is therefore a useful base that you can adapt to different beans, roast profiles and flavour preferences.

Make your Espresso Martini at home

Once you know the basic technique, an Espresso Martini is surprisingly straightforward to make.

Brew your coffee, combine it with vodka, coffee liqueur and optional sugar syrup, then shake vigorously with plenty of ice before straining into a chilled glass.

That’s all you need to turn this espresso martini recipe into an impressive homemade cocktail.

For the best starting point, explore the CoffeeHype coffee collection and choose from freshly roasted blends, single-origin coffees and decaf options.

Then brew, shake and enjoy your homemade Espresso Martini responsibly.