Black Russian
50 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur
Photo: Espresso martini - November 2024 - Sarah Stierch · All credits
Ingredients
- 40 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a tablespoon. Vodka
- 20 ml Spoons A tablespoon and a teaspoon. Coffee liqueur
- 30 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a teaspoon. Espresso - Freshly pulled and still hot
- 10 ml Spoons Two teaspoons. Simple syrup - Only if your espresso is bitter
- 3 beans Coffee beans (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Shake vodka, coffee liqueur and hot espresso hard with ice.
- Double strain into a chilled coupe and top with three beans.
Method
- Pull a fresh espresso and let it cool for a minute - hot coffee makes a flabby foam.
- Shake the vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and syrup very hard with plenty of ice.
- Double strain into a chilled coupe.
- Wait a few seconds for the crema to settle, then float three coffee beans on top.
Serve it
Espresso Martini
London, the mid-1980s: a model asked Dick Bradsell for something that would wake her up and then, on second thoughts, mess her up. He shook vodka, coffee liqueur and a fresh espresso together, and the drink has been keeping dinners going long past pudding ever since.
Getting it right
The coffee has to be fresh and hot, straight from the machine - this is a drink that tastes of coffee or of nothing at all. Shake it harder than feels reasonable: the thick cream on top comes from the oils in the espresso being thrown into the air, so a polite shake leaves you with a flat brown drink. Add the espresso last, so it goes into the tin still hot, then double strain it and float three coffee beans on the foam. Serve it before anybody starts saying they ought to be getting home.
Tasting notes
Bitter and sweet at once, with a velvety crema and a real caffeine prickle underneath. A pudding, a coffee and a nightcap in one glass.
More Vodka cocktails
Bloody Mary
50 ml Vodka, 120 ml Tomato juice, 15 ml Lemon juice, 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce, 2 dashes Tabasco, 1 pinch Celery salt, 1 pinch Black pepper, 1 Celery stick
Cosmopolitan
40 ml Vodka, 20 ml Triple sec, 30 ml Cranberry juice, 15 ml Lime juice, 1 Orange slice