Updated July 23, 2026 by George Ciuciureanu, co-founder of Thirsty Bartender.
How do you make an espresso martini?
An espresso martini is 1.5 oz vodka, 0.75 oz coffee liqueur, and 1.25 oz cold brew coffee, shaken hard with ice for a full 20 seconds and strained into a chilled coupe or martini glass. The shake is what builds the signature foam, so give the drink a few seconds to settle, then rest three coffee beans on top. Five minutes, no espresso machine, and the first sip tastes like the bar you didn't have to line up for.
That last part surprises people, so it's worth saying plainly: you do not need an espresso machine to make a proper espresso martini. The foam everyone chases comes from the shake, not from espresso crema, and cold coffee actually builds it better than hot. This is the recipe our Espresso Martini Kit is built around, with every bottle measured and delivered to your door across the GTA, vodka included.
Why this ratio, and why there's no syrup on our card
Espresso martini recipes disagree with each other constantly, and the argument is almost always about sweetness. Plenty of recipes add a half ounce of simple syrup on top of the coffee liqueur, and the result is why so many bar versions land somewhere between dessert and a tiramisu shot. Our card runs 1.5 oz vodka, 0.75 oz coffee liqueur, 1.25 oz cold brew, and no syrup at all. The liqueur is the sweetener. At three quarters of an ounce it has enough presence to round the coffee's edges and give the drink its silky body.
The generous pour of cold brew is the other quiet decision. A full 1.25 oz keeps the coffee in charge of the aroma and gives the foam something to build from, which matters more than any bartending trick.
And the kit is engineered backwards from the card. Multiply the recipe by sixteen and you land within an honest pour of every bottle we pack: a 750 ml vodka, a 375 ml coffee liqueur, and three 207 ml bottles of black cold brew, all sized to run out together as you garnish drink sixteen. No orphaned half bottle of liqueur living in your cabinet, no flat leftover coffee. We build every kit around that feeling of done.
The foam is a technique, not an ingredient
The velvet layer on top of a great espresso martini is the whole reason the drink photographs the way it does, and it is made entirely in the shaker. Coffee carries natural oils and proteins, and a hard shake with plenty of ice whips them into a fine, stable foam, the same way cream whips. The recipe for it is not subtle: fill your shaker three quarters full with ice, seal it, and shake genuinely hard for 20 seconds. Not a polite rattle. The tin should frost over and your forearm should notice.
Then two small moves protect what you built. Strain promptly into a chilled glass, because a warm glass eats foam. And give the drink a few seconds to settle before the garnish, so the surface firms up and the three coffee beans sit on top instead of sinking. Chill the glasses in the freezer while you prep and the foam holds to the last sip.
The espresso martini recipe
Yield: 1 cocktail
Prep time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Glass: Coupe or martini, chilled
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz vodka
- 0.75 oz coffee liqueur
- 1.25 oz black cold brew coffee
- Ice
- Garnish: 3 coffee beans
Method
- Add 1.5 oz vodka, 0.75 oz coffee liqueur, and 1.25 oz cold brew to a cocktail shaker.
- Fill the shaker three quarters full with ice and shake hard for 20 seconds to build a rich foam.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass.
- Let the foam settle for a few seconds, then garnish with three coffee beans.
Making drinks for two? Double the measures in one shaker and pour evenly between glasses.
Why we ship cold brew instead of espresso
Fresh espresso sounds like the righteous choice until you try to serve four of these. Every shot needs a machine, every shot pulls slightly differently, and every shot goes into the shaker hot, which melts your ice early and thins the drink before the shake has done its work. Cold brew solves all three problems at once: it's already cold, it's the same strength in drink one and drink sixteen, and its low acidity means the coffee reads smooth and chocolatey instead of sharp.
Ours comes from Two Bears, a Toronto roaster whose black cold brew we picked after testing because it holds its character next to the liqueur instead of disappearing into it. The kit ships three sealed 207 ml bottles, so the coffee you pour for the last round is exactly as fresh as the first.
Espresso martinis for a crowd
This is the cocktail that ends dinner parties on a high note, and the way to serve it to eight people is rhythm, not batching. Chill your glasses in the freezer while everyone finishes eating. Then work in rounds of two, exactly like the card says: doubled measures, one hard 20-second shake, split the pour, garnish, hand off. Each round takes about two minutes, every glass lands with the foam intact, and your guests get the small theatre of the shake, which is half the drink's reputation.
The 16-drink kit is built for exactly this pace, and if the night is bigger than one cocktail, our complete guide to hosting a cocktail party in Toronto covers the rest of the evening.
The Toronto part
Assembling this drink yourself means a vodka run, a liqueur decision you'll second-guess in the aisle, and a hunt for cold brew that isn't a sweetened can. The kit collapses it into one box at your door: the vodka you chose, the coffee liqueur we tested, three bottles of Two Bears black cold brew, and the coffee beans for the garnish. Order by 5 PM and it arrives next day anywhere in the GTA, Toronto to Mississauga, Scarborough to Vaughan, Etobicoke to Markham. The espresso machine stays uninvented in your kitchen, and nobody can tell.
Espresso martini FAQ
What is an espresso martini made of?
Vodka, coffee liqueur, and coffee, shaken hard with ice and served up with a foam top. Our card runs 1.5 oz vodka, 0.75 oz coffee liqueur, and 1.25 oz black cold brew, with three coffee beans as the garnish and no added syrup.
How do you get the foam without an espresso machine?
The foam comes from the shake, not the machine. Coffee's natural oils and proteins whip into foam under hard agitation, so fill the shaker three quarters full with ice, shake hard for a full 20 seconds, strain into a chilled glass, and let it settle before garnishing.
Can I use cold brew instead of espresso?
Yes, and we'd argue you should. Cold brew is already chilled, so it doesn't melt your ice early, it pours at the same strength every round, and its low acidity makes the drink smoother. Our kit ships Two Bears black cold brew, roasted in Toronto.
Why three coffee beans?
Tradition says they stand for health, wealth, and happiness. They also tell your guests the foam is firm enough to hold something, which is the real flex. The kit includes them.
How much caffeine is in an espresso martini?
Enough to notice, less than your morning cup. The 1.25 oz of cold brew per drink is a measured pour, not a mugful, which is why this cocktail wakes up the end of a dinner party without cancelling the night's sleep entirely.
Is an espresso martini strong?
It's a proper cocktail. With 1.5 oz of vodka plus the liqueur, it drinks like a martini that went to a better party, smooth enough that the strength sneaks up. Sip it, and maybe don't make it your fourth.
Where can I buy an espresso martini kit in Toronto?
Order our Espresso Martini Kit before 5 PM and we deliver next day across the GTA. The vodka, your pick of Absolut or Grey Goose, plus the coffee liqueur, three bottles of Two Bears cold brew, coffee beans for garnish, and the printed recipe card, all in one box. Sixteen drinks. The alcohol is included.
Sending it as a gift? The Espresso Martini Kit is the dinner party gift that gets remembered, and our housewarming gift guide matches a kit to every friend. Add a free gift note at checkout and pick the delivery date so it lands fresh on the occasion. Not sure they're espresso martini people? A Thirsty Bartender e-Gift Card arrives instantly and lets them choose.
Best served with dessert nobody has room for, a dinner party entering its second act, and the quiet confidence of someone who never owned an espresso machine.
Get the Espresso Martini Kit →