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Tea recipe · Tea Cocktails (Adults Only)

Espresso Martini

A proper espresso martini made at home: a strong instant-coffee shot shaken hard with vodka and coffee liqueur, with a foamy top and three beans.

  • Prep 12 min
  • Serves 1
  • Easy
Tea Cocktails (Adults Only) · recipe card
At a glance Updated 26 May 2026
Costa Smooth Medium Roast Coffee, 100g, Coffee, Costa Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
7Steps
9Ingredients
£4.80The tea
84In this section
Made withCosta Smooth Medium Roast Coffee, 100g
The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

You do not need an espresso machine to make a good espresso martini at home. A strong shot of instant Coffee, cooled, stands in perfectly well. Shake it hard with vodka and a little coffee liqueur over plenty of ice, and the long, hard shake whips up the signature foamy top.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Espresso Martini recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/cocktails/espresso-martini/

Strain into a chilled coupe and float a few coffee beans on top. Makes one.

⏱ 12 min 🍽 Serves 1 📊 Easy 📚 Tea Cocktails (Adults Only)

You'll need

  • 2 heaped teaspoons of Costa Smooth Medium Roast Coffee granules (about 4g)
  • 60ml freshly drawn water, brought to a rolling boil then left for 1 minute to drop to about 90C
  • 35ml vodka
  • 15ml coffee liqueur (Kahlua or equivalent)
  • 3 whole roasted coffee beans, for the foam garnish
  • 1 coupe glass, chilled in the freezer for ten minutes
  • 1 cocktail shaker
  • Cubed ice (about 100g for the shaker)
  • 1 small heatproof mug

Method

  1. Chill a coupe in the freezer.
  2. Dissolve two heaped teaspoons of coffee in 60ml of hot water (around 90C) to make a strong shot.
  3. Cool the shot quickly by standing the mug in a bowl of cold water; it needs to be cold before it goes in the shaker.
  4. Tip the cooled coffee, vodka and coffee liqueur into a shaker filled with ice.
  5. Shake hard for a full fifteen seconds; this long, hard shake is what builds the thick foam on top.
  6. Double-strain into the chilled coupe and float three coffee beans on the foam.
  7. The foam only comes from a proper hard shake over plenty of ice, so do not skimp on it.
What you'll end up with: A dark, glossy espresso martini with a thick foam cap and three beans on top. Strong and coffee-forward, with vodka behind it and just enough sweetness from the liqueur.

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