A Baileys espresso martini is the classic with the edges sanded down just a bit: vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur, and a pour of Irish cream that takes the bite off the coffee and gives the drink real body. It still leads with the rush of coffee, it just is a little smoother on the back end. Give it five minutes and one hard shake, and you’ll get a head thick enough to hold your espresso beans afloat.
What Is a Baileys Espresso Martini Cocktail?
Quick Answer: A Baileys Espresso Martini is an espresso martini made with Baileys Irish Cream alongside the vodka, coffee liqueur, and fresh espresso. Shaken hard and strained into a chilled coupe, it gets a frothy coffee head and the traditional garnish of three espresso beans.
The espresso martini belongs to Dick Bradsell, the London bartender behind half the modern classics of the ’80s and ’90s. Where he made the first one is still argued over. The usual answer is the Soho Brasserie around 1983. Bradsell himself sometimes placed it at Fred’s Club later that decade. The famous part of the story is a model asking for a drink that would wake her up and then knock her flat. People like to name Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell, but in 1983 one of them was nine and the other was thirteen. The drink wasn’t called a martini at first, either. It started as the Vodka Espresso, served on the rocks. Bradsell later called it the Pharmaceutical Stimulant at the Pharmacy, and by the end of the ’90s it was going into coupes under the name we use now.
Baileys has its own good story… Two consultants put it together in London in 1973 on a brief to create a new Irish export. Their first attempt was Irish whiskey and cream, which they found interesting and terrible in equal measure. Sugar and a scoop of chocolate drink powder fixed it. They named it after a bistro near their office because it sounded Anglo-Irish. It launched in 1974 as the first Irish cream on the market.
What you’ll love about this recipe:
What You Need to Make a Baileys Espresso Martini Cocktail
How to Make a Baileys Espresso Martini Cocktail
- Chill a coupe or martini glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
- Pull a fresh shot of espresso.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, Baileys, coffee liqueur, and hot espresso.
- Shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds, until the tin is too cold to hold comfortably.
- Double strain into the chilled glass through a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer. Give it a few seconds for the foam to settle into a head.
- Set the traditional three espresso beans on top of the foam.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Don’t let the espresso sit. As espresso cools, the crema breaks down, and the crema is what turns into foam. Pull the shot last and get it straight into the tin.
- Shake longer than feels necessary. Shaking whips air into the coffee oils. Most flat espresso martinis come from a timid shake that’s over in five seconds.
- Double strain for a tighter foam. A fine mesh strainer catches ice chips and big bubbles, so the head comes out smooth and holds longer.
- No espresso machine? A moka pot or a strong pod espresso both work. Cold brew concentrate makes a decent drink but a much thinner head, since you lose the hot crema.
- Adjust the sweetness with the liqueur, not the Baileys. Swapping Kahlúa for Mr Black dries the drink out without thinning the coffee. If you’d rather keep Kahlúa, drop it to ¼ ounce. Pulling back the Baileys gets rid of the reason you’re making this version.
How to Serve This Baileys Espresso Martini Cocktail
A chilled coupe or martini glass, served up with no ice, and three beans on the foam. Hand it over right away. The head looks best in the first couple of minutes.
It belongs at the end of a dinner party, in place of dessert or alongside something simple like dark chocolate, biscotti, or a plate of shortbread. Making a round for a table? Pull the shots first, then shake two drinks at a time so every glass gets hot espresso.
More Cocktail Recipes
If the espresso martini is your after-dinner order, the rest of the coffee and cream shelf is worth working through next. Browse our vodka cocktails for more of the family. Our newsletter lands every week, right in time for happy hour. Subscribe here, then pull up a stool in our Facebook group and tell us how you take your coffee after dark.
Baileys Espresso Martini Recipe
Equipment
- Espresso machine moka pot, or pod machine
- cocktail shaker
- Hawthorne strainer and fine mesh strainer
- jigger
- Coupe or martini glass
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- 1 ounce Baileys Original Irish Cream
- ½ ounce coffee liqueur
- 1 ounce fresh hot espresso
- Ice for shaking
- Espresso beans for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a coupe or martini glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
- Pull a fresh shot of espresso.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, Baileys, coffee liqueur, and hot espresso.
- Shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Double strain into the chilled glass and let the foam settle.
- Garnish with three espresso beans.
Notes
- To make two, double everything and shake in one tin with fresh ice.
- For a drink that isn’t as sweet, swap Kahlúa for Mr Black, a drier, more bitter coffee liqueur, or cut the Kahlúa to ¼ ounce.
Recipe FAQs
Why isn’t my espresso martini foamy?
Usually it’s one of three things: espresso that sat too long, a short shake, or wet ice. Use a fresh hot shot, hard ice, and a full 15- to 20-second shake.
Yes. Increase the Baileys to 1½ ounces and leave out the coffee liqueur. You’ll get a creamier, milder drink, with all of the coffee coming from the espresso.
No. Baileys is made to go into hot coffee, and the ice in the shaker cools everything down within seconds.
You can mix the vodka, Baileys, and coffee liqueur ahead and keep it in the fridge. The espresso has to be fresh, and you have to shake it to order, because the foam won’t last sitting in a pitcher.
It’s sweeter than the classic but less sweet than most bar versions, because there’s no simple syrup. The espresso keeps it in check.
Ready to elevate your cocktail game? Join our community of discerning drinkers – sign up for our newsletter for weekly happy hour inspiration, and don’t forget to join our private Facebook group for exclusive tips and discussions.
