Espresso Martini
Dick Bradsell created the Espresso Martini in 1983 at the Soho Brasserie in London, reportedly at the request of a young model who asked for something that would "wake me up and then mess me up." The name has stuck despite the drink containing no gin and bearing no relation to a Martini beyond the glass it is served in. Bradsell used what was in front of him: freshly pulled espresso from the machine behind the bar, vodka, and coffee liqueur. The result became one of the most ordered cocktails in the world. The revival it has enjoyed over the last decade is not a surprise. It is a genuinely good drink. Cold, strong, silky, with the kind of foam that holds a garnish for ten minutes and makes every other cocktail look underdressed. The foam is the signature and the technique that produces it is the point of difference between an Espresso Martini and a good Espresso Martini. Use freshly pulled espresso. Not cold brew. Not instant. Not yesterday's coffee. The crema from a fresh shot is what produces the foam. Without it the drink is flat in every sense of the word.
Variations
Glassware: Nick & Nora Glass
Garnish: Coffee beans (representing health wealth happiness)
Ingredients
50ml
A clean, neutral vodka that carries the coffee without competing with it. The espresso is the lead here and the vodka should not distract from it.
1 shot, strong
Brewed immediately before use and allowed to cool for two minutes before adding to the shaker. Hot espresso added directly to ice causes uneven dilution that throws the balance of the drink.
30ml
Reinforces the coffee character and bridges the vodka and espresso. Mr Black performs better here than Kahlúa for a less sweet, more coffee-forward result.
10ml
Ten millilitres, and the part most home versions leave out. Espresso and coffee liqueur are both bitter under the sweetness, and without the syrup the foam thins and the finish turns austere.
3 beans
Three beans placed on the foam immediately before serving. Do not press them in. They sit on the surface and provide an aromatic top note to every sip.
Instructions
Pre-chill a nick & nora glass.
Prepare garnish of coffee beans.
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
Shake hard for 10-12 seconds to create the signature foam.
Fine strain into the chilled glass.
Garnish with three coffee beans arranged in a petal formation on the foam.
Source: the IBA (Official IBA specification; method ours). Last checked 13 August 2026.
Expert Tip
The foam comes from the crema in a freshly pulled espresso shot. It is not produced by the shake alone. Cold brew, instant, or espresso that has been sitting for twenty minutes will have lost its crema, and the foam will not form properly. Fresh espresso is a requirement rather than a preference. Shake harder than you think you need to. The foam is built in the shaker, and fine straining pushes it upward into the glass as you pour. The more aggressive the shake, the better the result. Chill the glass. A warm coupe starts collapsing the foam immediately, so five minutes in the freezer, or ice water in the glass while you shake, makes a visible difference. Taste your coffee liqueur before adding any syrup. Most bring enough sweetness that none is needed.
Flavour Profile
The Brief
The story behind the Espresso Martini is one of the most repeated in cocktail history, which is either evidence of how good it is or how good the story is. In 1983 at the Soho Brasserie in London, a customer sat down at Dick Bradsell's bar and asked for a drink that would wake her up and then mess her up. He pulled an espresso, added vodka and coffee liqueur, shook it over ice, and poured it into a martini glass. The request was specific. The answer was direct. The drink has been ordered in roughly those terms ever since.
Bradsell went on to create the Bramble, the Treacle, and several other drinks that shaped modern British bartending. The Espresso Martini may be the most commercially successful thing he ever made and arguably the one he is most conflicted credit for. It is not a sophisticated drink in the way the Bijou or the Vieux Carré are sophisticated. It is a precise drink. The difference matters.
Why the Foam Matters
The foam on an Espresso Martini is not decoration. It is a signal. A dense, stable foam that holds its shape and supports three coffee beans without sinking tells you the espresso was fresh, the shake was hard enough, and the technique was correct. A thin, patchy layer that collapses within thirty seconds tells you the opposite.
The foam is produced by the crema in a freshly pulled espresso shot being emulsified through aggressive shaking. Crema is the layer of emulsified oils and carbon dioxide that sits on top of a fresh espresso. It is present for roughly two to three minutes after the shot is pulled before it begins to dissipate. Shake within that window and the crema has enough structure to produce foam. Miss the window and you are shaking cold coffee with ice and hoping for the best.
This is the single most important piece of knowledge for making this drink well.
The Vodka Question
Vodka is chosen here for what it does not bring rather than what it does. It adds alcohol, structure, and cold without contributing flavour that would compete with the coffee. The Espresso Martini is a coffee drink first and a vodka drink second. A neutral vodka serves that hierarchy correctly.
Some versions use spiced rum or bourbon in place of vodka. The result is interesting and worth exploring, but it is a different drink with a different balance. The coffee is no longer the lead. If you want to see what Expedition Spiced Rum does to an Espresso Martini, the Vietnamese Iced Coffee Cocktail is the more considered version of that experiment.
Coffee Liqueur
Kahlua is the standard and it works well. It is sweet, coffee-forward, and widely available. Tia Maria is a reasonable alternative with a slightly lighter character. Mr Black, an Australian cold brew coffee liqueur, produces a drier, more intensely coffee-flavoured result and is worth seeking out if you make this drink regularly.
The coffee liqueur is doing two things: adding sweetness to balance the bitterness of the espresso and reinforcing the coffee flavour. The quality of the liqueur matters less than the quality of the espresso. Start with fresh coffee and the liqueur will do its job quietly.
The Three Beans
Three coffee beans placed in the centre of the foam is the traditional garnish. The number is not arbitrary. In Italian tradition, three beans in a Sambuca represent health, happiness, and prosperity. Bradsell borrowed the convention and it stuck. They also provide an aromatic note as you bring the glass to your lips, the oils in the beans releasing slightly from the warmth of the foam beneath them.
Place them gently. Dropping them from height will break the foam. Set them down as if the surface could hold them, because it should.
The Spirit
VodkaThe only major spirit whose legal definition asks for character to be taken away rather than built. UK law requires it to be distilled so that the raw material's own qualities are selectively reduced, and sets the floor at 37.5%. What is left is strength, texture, and whatever survived the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Espresso Martini?
Vodka, freshly pulled espresso and coffee liqueur, shaken hard and served cold with three beans on the foam. Dick Bradsell built it in 1983 at the Soho Brasserie in London, and the name comes from the glass rather than from any gin.
Why does the foam matter?
The foam is a signal, not decoration. A dense layer that holds three beans tells you the espresso was fresh and the shake was hard. It comes from crema, present for two to three minutes after the shot is pulled.
Can I use cold brew or instant coffee?
No. The crema on a freshly pulled shot is what produces the foam, and without it the drink is flat in every sense. Not cold brew, not instant, not yesterday's coffee: crema lasts two to three minutes and the shake has to happen inside that window.
Master the Techniques
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits
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