Cocktails with Espresso coffee
Espresso is a concentrated coffee shot brewed by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee.
How it's used
Pull it to order and use it hot: an Espresso Martini gets its foam from the crema and from shaking while it is fresh, and coffee that has sat for ten minutes will not build a head. A single shot yields about 30 ml and carries more coffee than three times that volume of filter, which is why it seasons a drink instead of lengthening one. Vodka and coffee liqueur are the standard partners, and sugar is not optional — espresso without it reads harsh.
Substitutes for Espresso coffee
Instant espresso powder
The closest swap at home. For each shot, dissolve half a teaspoon in 30 ml of hot water and use it fresh.
Moka-pot coffee
Works in the same amount but is only about a third as strong, so the drink tastes thinner.
Smoother and less acidic. Use a concentrate: the ready-to-drink kind is already diluted.
Will not do: at about a seventh of the strength, it is too weak.
