Espresso gin martini is exactly as the name suggests. It's a classic espresso martini with gin as the base spirit rather than vodka. If you enjoy coffee and gin drinks, you should try this lively ginspresso martini.
My caffé shakerato is a great alternative to serve to non-drinkers.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll receive my trusted recipes each week!
Why you'll love this ginspresso
- Quick & easy: this drink is ready in around 5 minutes.
- Appearance: it's striking. The dark body of this cocktail is topped with a latte-coloured creamy top. It's extremely elegant.
- Texture: The blend of the creamy top and smooth liquid is a divine combination in this coffee and gin drink.
- Taste: expect robust coffee flavour, gentle sweetness and heaps of character from the gin that you select. The flavours are pronounced yet clean.
Jump to:
I'm always on the look-out for different ways to take my coffee cocktails and this espresso gin martini is my latest venture.
Gin is my favourite spirit to use in cocktail making, so I'm a little perturbed to be confessing that until I tried an espresso martini with gin in a local cocktail bar recently, it hadn't crossed my mind to give it a try. But I'm rectifying my oversight now.
This espresso martini with gin is quite a unique little libation. Lovers of coffee and gin drinks really should give it a try.
What is an espresso gin martini?
This gin espresso martini is a simple twist on the classic espresso martini which is typically made with espresso coffee, vodka, coffee liqueur and simple syrup. I'm sure you can easily guess that this version is made with gin rather than vodka.
But that's the only difference. The punchy coffee flavour and signature creamy top are still present. It's just that the gin adds completely different nuances compared to vodka. And of course, varying the gin brings slightly different elements to this libation.
This coffee and gin drink can also be called a ginspresso martini, which I think is a light-hearted take on this otherwise quite serious creation.
If you like further dalliances away from the classic vodka version then do give my rum espresso martini, with notes of chocolate and orange a try. It's another one of my favourites. I've also got a pumpkin spice espresso martini up my sleeve. And for pure creamy indulgence, don't miss my Baileys espresso martini.
Ingredients notes
Espresso: the ginspresso martini is best made with freshly brewed espresso. Use around 18g of your favourite espresso powder to brew the 40ml hot espresso needed per cocktail.
Gin: within reason, use your favourite gin. Do, however, give thought to whether the profile of the gin you are considering will marry well with coffee and avoid using flavoured gins that have been sweetened.
Coffee liqueur: I went with the classic choice found in many espresso martini recipes: Kahlua. It has just the right level of sweetness for this cocktail and it's relatively thick, so helps to create a lovely velvety mouthfeel.
Equipment notes
Ideally, use a cocktail shaker to prepare your gin espresso martini. If you do not own one, then a large screw-top jar will suffice. Just ensure that it is strong enough to stand-up to having ice shaken in it.
You'll need to strain the drink to avoid ice falling into the glass. Use either a hawthorne strainer or a julep strainer. If you do not own either of those, a fine-meshed metal sieve works too.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Here's how to make your espresso gin martini in 4 simple steps.
Step 1. Put a large handful of ice into the base of a cocktail shaker.
Step 2. Pour in the (hot) espresso coffee, gin, coffee liqueur and simple syrup.
Step 3. Secure the lid of the cocktail shaker and shake hard for 30 seconds.
Step 4. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish your drink as desired.
Expert tips
Top Tip: to achieve that signature frothy top use freshly brewed coffee. There's no need to let it cool down.
- Use plenty of ice when making this cocktail. It serves to dilute the drink, chill it and also helps to build up that beautiful creamy top.
- Chill the serving glass for 15 minutes to ensure this drink is served ice-cold.
- Use a cocktail jigger, kitchen measuring spoons or digital kitchen scales to measure the ingredients - don't guess the volume of liquid as those listed in the recipe card are the perfect balance of flavours.
Frequently asked questions
You don't have to use an expensive gin since it has to compete alongside the robust flavours of coffee. Just a reasonable quality gin will suffice.
I enjoy using either spice-led, or citrus-led gins, especially those that bring in hints of orange peel, in this coffee and gin drink. Good options include (paid link) Opihr and (paid link) Aviation.
It is better to make this coffee and gin drink at the point of serving to ensure that the foamy top is the best it can be. Coffee that has sat around for a while does not foam as well as it does when fresh.
Yes, you can make a ginspresso with decaffeinated coffee.
Yes, you can. Do so cautiously though, nudging the simple syrup up or down by 5ml. If prepared as per the measures in the recipe card expect a coffee gin cocktail that is marginally sweet rather than being overpoweringly sweet.
Variations
I wrote a long list of ingredients that could be included in this gin espresso martini recipe when I was first developing it. However, in the end, I decided to keep things very simple to allow the gin to headline equally with the other star ingredient: espresso coffee.
Should you feel more inclined to build on the flavour profile of your ginspresso martini consider the following options:
- Chocolate bitters - 3 dashes.
- Orange bitters - 3 dashes.
- Rosewater - 2-3 drops.
- Honey - use it in place of the simple syrup.
- Amaretto - add in 10ml and reduce the quantity of simple syrup to 10ml.
What to serve with a ginspresso
Cured meats & cheese, along with salty nuts, make great savoury snacks to serve with coffee cocktails. I prefer to go down the dessert route though. Here are my favourite sweet treats to serve alongside a gin espresso martini:
More alcoholic coffee drinks to try out
Have you made this espresso gin martini? Please consider leaving a rating and comment. I'd love to hear how you got along with the recipe and what brand of gin you used.
New here? Why not sign up to receive LittleSugarSnaps newsletters. You'll hear first-hand when new recipes are published. You're welcome to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too.
📖 Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we'll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll receive my trusted recipes each week!
Espresso Gin Martini
Equipment
- 1 Cocktail shaker or a sturdy screwtop glass jar
- 1 Strainer hawthorne, julep or a small fine-meshed sieve
Ingredients
- 40 ml Espresso freshly brewed using 18g espresso powder
- 40 ml Gin
- 20 ml Coffee liqueur such as Kahlua
- 15 ml Simple syrup
- 3 Coffee beans optional garnish
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground espresso optional garnish
Instructions
- Put a large handful of ice into the base of your cocktail shaker.
- Measure out the espresso, gin, coffee liqueur and simple syrup and pour each ingredient over the ice.
- Secure the lid of the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Strain into a serving glass.
- Optional: garnish with the coffee beans and a dusting of espresso powder.
Notes
- Use plenty of ice when making this cocktail. It serves to dilute the drink, chill it and also helps to build up that beautiful creamy top.
- Chill the serving glass for 15 minutes to ensure this drink is served ice-cold.
- Use a cocktail jigger, kitchen measuring spoons or digital kitchen scales to measure the ingredients - don't guess the volume of liquid as those listed in the recipe card are the perfect balance of flavours.
Marissa Preston says
it was great
Jane Coupland says
Thank you Marissa:)
Jane Coupland says
I deliberately kept this recipe minimalistic to let the gin take centre stage - do you have a favourite gin to use in this cocktail? Let me know so I can try it too.