Dry Espresso Martini
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 16.2% ABV ∙
The Dry Espresso Martini is a modern shaken twist built on bourbon, cold brew coffee, coffee liqueur, and simple syrup, served up in a cocktail glass. Roasted coffee bitterness leads, bourbon adds a warm oak undertone, and a thin ribbon of sweetness keeps the finish dry rather than syrupy — a late-dinner pick-me-up.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Bourbon 50 mlCold brew coffee 45 mlCoffee liqueur 10 mlSugar syrup 10 mlCocoa bitters 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake all ingredients with fresh ice for a full 15 seconds to build the signature foam cap, since cold brew lacks crema-producing pressure and under-shaking leaves a thin, weak head.
- Express the orange twist's oils directly over the foam before resting it on the rim, since citrus oil cuts through the bourbon and coffee liqueur's sweetness.
- Add the cocoa bitters dash into the shaker before shaking, not as a float after, so it integrates evenly with the sugar syrup and cold brew.
History
The Dry Espresso Martini is a variation on the Espresso Martini, credited to London bartender Dick Bradsell in the 1980s, with sources split between Soho Brasserie and Fred's Club as the birthplace and 1983 or the mid-1980s as the year. This version reduces the sweetness of the original by cutting back on sugar, giving a drier, less syrupy balance to the coffee and spirit.
