We Asked 17 Bartenders: What’s the Secret to a Great Espresso Martini?

It may seem like Espresso Martinis are everywhere — that’s because they are. The caffeinated cocktail has catapulted in popularity over the past decade, even landing the No. 4 spot on the list of the 50 most popular cocktails in the world for 2025.

Even though the Espresso Martini is beloved by bargoers, it’s no secret that many bartenders disdain making the time-consuming, “basic” drink. Still, certain drinks pros enjoy using the somewhat controversial cocktail as a canvas for creativity. That’s why we asked 17 bartenders to spill their tips and tricks for optimizing this fan favorite, whether by adding surprise ingredients like salt or investing in some seriously high-quality espresso.

Whether you’re on the hunt for the best Espresso Martini while dining out or you’re just looking to mix up a great coffee cocktail at home, these hacks will help level up your Espresso Martini game.

The secret to a great Espresso Martini, according to bartenders:

High-quality espresso
Allen’s Coffee Brandy
Fresh espresso
Double shake and fine strain
Amaro Nardini
Cold brew concentrate
Salt
A proper shake
Greek brandy
Rum
High-quality espresso liquor
Vanilla bean syrup
Lactic acid syrup
Serving from a nitro tap
Chocolate meringue
Coconut liqueur
Orange zest-infused salt

“The secret to the best Espresso Martini is starting with high-quality, fresh espresso. At Grandpa Bar, we pull it fresh and chill it first to keep the flavor intense and reduce dilution in the final drink. From there, the fun is giving it personality. Our best-seller, the Candy Dish, plays on the nostalgia of grabbing a Werther’s Original from my grandma’s candy dish, featuring chilled dark-roast espresso, caramel, sea salt, vodka, and topped with a housemade vanilla sweet cream.” —Mike Rosenthal, owner, Grandpa Bar, Nashville

“I think there are a few factors that make our Espresso Martini special. It’s rum-based, it has a malty banana note, and it’s topped with a salted coconut foam. But, if I had to hone in on the one keystone ingredient, it’s the heavy measure of Allen’s Coffee Brandy. Known as the ‘Champagne of Maine,’ it’s the ultimate ‘good-bad’ ingredient, beloved by lobstermen as equally as it is adored by bartenders. Credit goes to Andrew Volk of Hunt and Alpine Club here in Portland who, to my knowledge, was the first bartender to feature it in an Espresso Martini. Since his version debuted, bars all around the state have also adopted it in their recipes. For good reason: It has a certain nostalgic appeal to us Mainers but functionally is sweet, robust, and adds enough roundness to lend some body. We’ve subbed other coffee liquors to see how they compare, and Allen’s is just the best. We are happy to spread its gospel!” —Arvid Brown, owner, Room for Improvement, Portland, Maine

“The key to a genuinely beautiful Espresso Martini and not just a sweet coffee cocktail is a fresh shot of espresso. It isn’t really feasible in most bars, especially if they are crazy busy and need to make six Espresso Martinis at a time all night long. There are a lot of substitutions out there from cold brew or other batch-brewed coffee to a whole range of coffee spirits — some of them highly sophisticated. But the difference in acidity and structure between the substitutes and genuinely fresh espresso is night and day. Perfectly frothy and rich Espresso Martinis demand that you take their name seriously: make them with espresso!” —Leo Bayless-Hall, beverage director, Rolo’s, New York City

“It’s all in the shake, baby. The secret to Espresso Martinis is getting that perfect viscosity. You want to double shake and fine strain your cocktail close to the surface so that no air bubbles interfere with that thick velvety foam that any coffee enthusiast would love.” —Courtney Burge, bartender, Amara at Paraiso, Miami

“Espresso Martinis can be messy or unbalanced, but ours is a blend of delicious coffee flavors. I believe the key is layering similar but different flavors. Our version has fresh espresso, Demerara syrup, cold brew concentrate, Mr Black, Amaro Nardini, and 1 ounce of base spirit. The fresh espresso adds the oils needed to keep the nice texture of the cocktail with a thick layer of foam even on a hot day. The layers of coffee flavors from the liqueur, cold brew concentrate, and the caramelized Demerara sugar add nuance. The Amaro Nardini adds a fun touch of chocolaty bitterness and mystery.” —Jarett Karlsberg, beverage director, Wythe Hotel, NYC

“To me, a great Espresso Martini starts with having the right texture (not too thin, not too viscous), smelling and tasting like real espresso, and not adding sugar (all booze)! At Holiday, we want to create something that tastes and smells like a real shot of espresso even though we don’t have an espresso machine. Our Espresso Martini consists of vodka, Mr Black, cane sugar, Caffè Borghetti, an Italian espresso liqueur made from Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, and cold brew concentrate. It’s important to us to use a cold brew concentrate instead of diluted cold brew or regular coffee because it creates a more robust flavor and ensures that the drink doesn’t lean too sweet. The drink has a bittersweet dark chocolate and intense coffee flavor with a velvety finish. It is quite strong in both proof and caffeine. We see many guests ordering theirs with tequila or bourbon these days, and both are delicious! But we prefer ours with vodka to fully enjoy the coffee-espresso flavor.” —Erin Ashford, co-owner and beverage director, Holiday, Austin

“The secret to a great Espresso Martini? Salt. Mix together some sea salt and water (20 percent salt and 80 percent water is the sweet spot), then add two to three drops to the tin when building the drink. You’ll find the result is better balanced and more flavorful overall.” —Charlie Szur, head bartender, Confidant, NYC

“Air and care! For such a prominent and seemingly simple cocktail, it is surprisingly technical. Of course, quality ingredients are key — our housemade coffee liqueur doesn’t hurt — but if you don’t give it a proper shake and let aeration do its thing, you won’t get that nice layer of foam on top, and the cocktail can fall flat.” —Chloe Hage, bar manager, Teardrop Lounge, Portland, Ore.

“The secret to a great Espresso Martini starts with the coffee. Using high-quality, well-roasted beans creates a balanced, flavorful backbone. While pulling fresh espresso is ideal for single drinks, we use a concentrated coffee made from Black and White Coffee Roasters. This allows us to maintain the bitterness, texture, and depth of espresso while having a stable, batch-ready product for high-volume service.” —Robby Dow, owner, Bespoke, Wilmington, N.C.

“We lean into our Greek roots at Buddy Buddy and make our Espresso Martini a tad bit differently. We use Metaxa 7 Stars Greek brandy for the main spirit, a little honey syrup steeped with Greek mountain tea, a dark roast Nescafé instant coffee blend, and a few dashes of ouzo to add anise flavor. We serve it with a little cracked ice so it feels more like a traditional Greek frappé in the summer. I’ve always enjoyed brandy in an espresso martini since it adds more body.” —Nick Chaivarlis, owner, Buddy Buddy, Atlanta

“The secret to a great Espresso Martini? RUM! Quality — and hopefully aged — rum. While we encourage guests to pick their main spirit (vodka, tequila, bourbon), we add a touch of the El Dorado 12 Year Rum to bring in a floral vanilla note and a natural sweetness. It is, after all, a Martini derivative — it should have a spirit-forward approach. Caffè Borghetti also adds a nice bitter note. The goal is balance; to lack that cloying finish of too-much-sugar in a drink.” —Durst Payne, bartender and manager, Rosemary Rose and Bar Daniel, Charleston, S.C.

“In my opinion, a great Espresso Martini should taste like coffee first: smooth, silky, and balanced rather than too sweet or overly strong from its main spirit. I love when fresh espresso is used, but when it’s not available a high-quality espresso liqueur works beautifully. I skip cream liqueurs and stick with cold brew concentrate, Mario’s Hard Espresso Liqueur, Kahlua, and spirit of choice (I like mine with vodka). Top with a heavy cream float and three coffee beans for health, wealth, and happiness.” —Sara Emami, cocktail development director, Laurel Tavern, Studio City, Calif.

“There are a few tips or secrets to a perfect Espresso Martini. First is fresh espresso. You can pull it a few hours before use, but any longer than that and it begins to get bitter, and it will not foam as nicely when shaking. I also recommend using vanilla bean syrup rather than a typical simple syrup. The addition of vanilla bean seeds helps in the formation and stabilization of the foam and adds further flavor. The last key for a viscous foam is a vigorous shake — until the shaker becomes frosty on the outside and your hand begins to stick to the shaker.” —Kelly Verardo, bar programs director, Altamarea Group, NYC

“In my experience, most Espresso Martinis lack body and texture. Despite the deceivingly frothy top, the mouthfeel always falls flat. One trick we like to use is adding a lactic acid syrup. Both the sugar and the lactic acid improve the cocktail’s texture. A little goes a long way here; we typically add only one-quarter teaspoon per serving. At one of our other bars, we use this alongside serving the cocktail from a nitro tap. This is the ultimate solution and makes what I think is one of the best Espresso Martinis out there.” —Nick Amano Dolan, director of operations, Trick Dog, San Francisco

“Our Espresso Martini is made with Reyka vodka, Mr Black, and cold brew. We recognize that people want that familiar sip in their favorite cocktails, but they hope for something slightly different for the eyes and maybe the mouthfeel, so we top our Espresso Martini with a chocolate meringue. It adds an intense silkiness to the palate and, for the eyes and nose, we toast it tableside with a torch.” —Evan Mora, senior lead bartender, Midnight Cowboy, Austin

“At Corima, we serve a spin on a Carajillo, the storied and recently ascendant Licor 43-spiked coffee drink. In the standard preparation, the orange and vanilla spiced flavors of the Licor 43 add needed depth to a classic Espresso Martini build. Our version employs a coconut liqueur from Nodeo and the classic Mexican Amargo Vallet amaro. Coconut and coffee are a great tropical pairing, and amaro has a place in any coffee drink with its brooding herbaceousness. The key ingredient in this drink, though, and most Espresso Martinis, is salt. We make an orange zest-infused salt to sprinkle over the top, which grounds the sweetness and bitterness and ties everything together nicely. A healthy pinch in a normal Espresso Martini goes a long way, too.” —Edward Hardebeck, bar director, Corima, NYC

“The coffee and how you treat it. Whether it’s for your bar program or a party at the house, pull local espresso well ahead of time or use cold brew concentrate. Let it cool at room temp, then refrigerate. We like Cherry Roasters up on Laurel; its concentrate is somehow pretty and a little floral.” —Clayton Rosenthal, bar manager, Fives, New Orleans

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