The Espresso Martini

Drinking is hard. It is tiring. When you start with Bloody Mary’s in the morning, Margaritas in the afternoon, and Red Wine in the evening the body gets tired. Your body worked hard and deserves a pick-me-up. What is that pick-me-up you might ask? The Espresso Martini. The more successful, handsome, outgoing, alpha brother of the Vodka Red-Bull.

The Espresso Martini serves two primary purposes. First, it is a great post dinner dessert drink. It has a slightly sweet taste (without being too sweet) that satisfies the sweet tooth in all of us. Second, the Espresso Martini is the wake up we all need sometimes, whether first thing in the morning or right before going out in the evenings.

The Espresso Martini

The Espresso Martini is incredibly simple and easy to make. The drink has three ingredients; vodka, espresso, and Kahlua. As always with vodka, choose a mid-to-upper tier vodka that will go smoothly down the throat. The go-to recommendations are Smirnoff, Tito’s, and Kettle One. For espresso? Use your favorite type of strong coffee. Most people (including myself) do not have an espresso machine causally lying around the house. Instead, I substitute making strong coffee in a pot to get the desired effect. Just reduce the water and increase the amount of coffee beans. Kahlua is simple and easy; everyone should purchase and have a bottle on deck.

Aesthetics?

The hard truth is that in life looks matter, we only have a very short time to create the first impression. To dress-up the Espresso Martini, have some ground coffee and/or coffee beans ready as the final touch on top of the foam. Think of it as a Rolex or diamond necklace completing an outfit, the coffee beans or ground coffee complete the drink.

Making the Drink

1. Getting it nice and cold

Throw the Martini glass in the freezer (at least two minutes) and allow the glass to cool. Add plenty of ice to a shaker.

2. Adding the nectar

Add one shot of vodka, one shot of espresso, and one shot of Kahlua to the shaker. Shake thoroughly. When poured, there should be a small top layer of foam (if not no worries, the drink will still taste amazing).

3. Creativity

The fun part that will awaken the little child in all of us. Lightly dust the top layer of foam with ground up coffee or a few coffee beans. This is up to you; I just add a small amount to enhance the look of the drink.

The Espresso Martini is well liked by most people, it offers a nice taste and a hit of a caffeine. Give it a try this weekend.

---

Espresso Martini Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Vodka

• 1.5 oz Kahlua

• 1.5 oz Espresso

• Optional: Coffee Beans / Ground Coffee

Directions:

1. Add Vodka, Kahlua, and Espresso to a shaker with ice

2. Shake thoroughly before pouring into a martini glass

3. Artfully top with coffee beans / ground coffee