How to Make the PERFECT Espresso Martini (5 Key Tips)

Today I'm showing you five quick and easy ways to make a better espresso martini. Thanks to today's video sponsor, Kahlua. Now the first thing you want to think about is balance with your recipe. Balance between strength, coffee, bitterness and sweetness. Now a great starting point is the equal parts recipe. Not only is it easy to remember, it is actually really well balanced as well. Being one part coffee liqueur, specifically Kahlua, one part vodka and one part freshly pulled espresso. Whilst the original recipe by Dick Bradstow actually contained an addition of simple syrup, Kahlua has a certain richness and a robust flavor that you don't need to add extra sugar into the drink. So let's measure out equal parts of each ingredient, starting off with the Kahlua. Now Kahlua is made from a rum base with arabica beans. Those arabica beans have been roasted and macerated in the rum base for up to four weeks. And then obviously it's sweetened and bottled. And one part of vodka, I'm using Absolut, which brings me on to tip number two, which is the particular coffee that you choose to use. So your espresso martini is only going to be as good as your ingredients and that includes the coffee. The coffee is such an important component of the drink considering it's in the name, espresso martini. Now whilst you can use a cold drip or cold brew concentrate and still get that nice crema on the top of the drink, there's something about using fresh espresso that makes it so much easier. I can understand the use case of using cold brew in a bar environment, which I used to run events and I used to use a cold brew concentrate all the time. It would make a reliable recipe and a great foam on the top of the drink, but there's something about the freshly pulled espresso, you get the aromatics and the oils that get extracted from the coffee, which elevates the espresso martini. So equal parts, measure that out and add that straight in. Don't underestimate the importance of the ice. The ice plays a critical role, it provides dilution, it chills the drink and it provides aeration. And the size of the cube is also important. The larger the cube, the more the aeration. The more aeration, the better the crema on your espresso martini. And don't skimp on the amount of ice you add into your cocktail shaker, fill it right up. It doesn't have to be an aggressive shake to be able to produce a good quality cocktail. It's just about consistency and your technique. So all you have to do is tap your tin and make sure the ice agitates from end to end. You don't have to be super aggressive, as long as you can hear the ice tap from one end to the other, it will produce a nice crema. For example, 10 to 12 seconds. As you can see, I didn't necessarily shake really hard and it will still produce a fine crema. Serve it in an appropriate piece of glassware, a stemmed chilled coupe glass. Strain it into the glass and garnish it with three coffee beans. As you may have noticed, I didn't necessarily give it a really hard shake, but the crema on this is thick, it's creamy, it's got good height to it and it's purely because the ice, the shaking technique and the coffee. That's a good looking espresso martini. Now let's give it a taste test. Rich, coffee forward, that's a really tasty espresso martini. Many years ago I ran a mobile bartending business and this is actually the spec that I used, just an equal part recipe and the amount of compliments that I got for the espresso martini, people loved it. It's the simplest recipe and it's actually pretty good. Try it, let me know what you think in the comments below. Cheers!