The Date Vodka Espresso Martini

The Espresso Martini was invented at Soho Brasserie in London in the early 1980s by Dick Bradsell, supposedly for a model who asked for something to "wake me up and then mess me up." Forty years later, it's the most-ordered cocktail in restaurants. Here's how to make a great one at home, with date-based vodka that lifts the drink out of its usual sweet-and-coffee groove.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Oasis Vodka
• 1 oz freshly pulled espresso, cooled slightly
• 0.75 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlúa, Mr Black, or Borghetti)
• 0.25 oz simple syrup (optional, depending on coffee liqueur sweetness)
• 3 coffee beans for garnish
• Ice for shaking

Method

1. Pull a fresh espresso. Let it cool for thirty seconds.
2. Chill a coupe in the freezer.
3. Add vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice.
4. Shake hard for fifteen seconds. The shaking is what creates the signature foam on top.
5. Double-strain into the chilled coupe.
6. Float three coffee beans on the foam.

Notes

Espresso must be freshly pulled. Cold-brew works in a pinch but it's a different drink. The signature foam comes from the crema in fresh espresso reacting with the shake.

Why date vodka. Most espresso martinis taste like coffee and alcohol, full stop. Oasis Vodka's softness adds an almost-honeyed back note that makes the drink read more layered. Less of a caffeine punch, more of a dessert cocktail you'd actually order again.

Don't skimp on the shake. Fifteen seconds, hard. Anything less and you won't get the foam.

Variations

• Salted caramel. Add a tiny pinch of flaky salt to the shaker. Brings out the caramel notes.
• Mexican. Replace coffee liqueur with mezcal. Smokier, drier.
• Tiramisu. Add 0.25 oz Frangelico (hazelnut). Dessert-forward.
• Iced cold brew version. Replace espresso with 1.5 oz cold brew concentrate. Easier to batch for parties.

Where to next

Shop Oasis Vodka, try our classic vodka martini, or learn about date-based vodka.