Espresso Martinis with Vanilla Whipped Cream

It’s easy to make restaurant-style Espresso Martinis at home using canned espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur! This recipe takes it to another level by topping the martini with homemade Vanilla Whipped Cream! It’s delicious, creamy, caffeinated and perfect for an after dinner drink or dessert cocktail!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Espresso martinis are one of my all-time favorite cocktails. I would go so far as to say I’m an espresso martini aficionado. Over the last decade, I’ve tried espresso martinis at bars and restaurants in LA, San Diego, Paris, NYC and several places in between!

My top two favorite espresso martinis are at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills and Born & Raised Steakhouse in San Diego. The two keys to my favorite espresso martinis.

1. They’re actually made with espresso! A lot of restaurants and bars don’t actually have espresso machines, so they simply make their martinis with coffee liqueur and vodka. But when I want an espresso martini, I want ACTUAL ESPRESSO! Luckily for you, I’ve found a way around this whole “needing an espresso machine to make the perfect espresso martini” – more on that below!
2. They have a wonderful creamy layer on top! At Born & Raised, this is accomplished by adding a floater of Vanilla Whipped Cream on top, which is exactly what I’m doing in this recipe!

So how do I make espresso martinis with actual espresso, without an espresso machine? Using refrigerated canned espresso, delivered by Vons! In fact, Vons will deliver everything you need to make these Espresso Martinis right to your door step. That’s right, vodka and liqueur included!

Vons has an incredible selection of wine, beer and spirits that can all be ordered through their app and delivered to your door with their Grocery Delivery service, or picked up curbside at the store using their DriveUp & Go™ service.

While I shop at Vons in San Diego, these services are available at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores. This includes Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb.

So what’s in an espresso martini?

• Vodka – any high-quality plain vodka will work, feel free to pick your favorite brand. You could also use vanilla vodka as it would pair perfectly with the vanilla whipped cream in this martini!
• Espresso – make sure the canned espresso doesn’t contain other ingredients, like milk or sugar, as this recipe has been formulated with pure espresso.
• Coffee Liqueur – such as Kahlua.
• O Organics®️ Heavy Cream
• Signature SELECT™️ Sugar
• Signature SELECT Vanilla Extract
• Coffee Beans – optional – if you’d like to add a little garnish on top of your martinis, add 6 coffee beans to your ingredient list, 3 for each cocktail. Why 3 coffee beans? More on that below!

How to Make Espresso Martinis

1. Prepare the vanilla whipped cream.
   • Add heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract to a small mixing bowl.
   • Whisk the heavy cream by hand with a whisk until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.
2. Shake the martini ingredients together.
   • Add the vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur to a cocktail shaker with ice.
   • Shake the cocktail vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
   • Pour the martini through a strainer into two martini glasses.
3. Top with the whipped cream and coffee beans.
   • Spoon the whipped cream over the martinis.
   • Top each martini with 3 coffee beans.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do you have to add the vanilla whipped cream? I mean, you don’t have to, but I guarantee you’re going to want to! It’s sweet, creamy and the perfect topping on these espresso martinis!
• Are espresso martinis sweet? The vanilla whipped cream adds a little sweetness on top of the martinis, but the actual drink is not sweet at all, which is why the martini + vanilla whipped cream = the perfect balanced cocktail!
• This recipe makes 2. What if I only want to make 1? Simply cut the ingredients in half. You can even hover over the servings number in the recipe card below and slide it from 2, down to 1 cocktail, and the ingredient amounts will automatically update in the recipe card. This will also work the opposite way if you want to make 4 cocktails, instead of 2!
• Is an espresso martini gluten free? Yes, these martinis are naturally gluten free.
• What can you use instead of Kahlua in an espresso martini? If you want to leave out the Kahlua in this recipe, you can use an extra ounce of espresso instead of the coffee liqueur.
• What do the three beans in an espresso martini mean? The three beans floating on an espresso martini are said to represent health, wealth and happiness.

Pair this espresso martini with one of these delicious desserts!

1. Sea Salt Chocolate Chunk Cookies
2. Mini Cannoli Cream Pastry Cups
3. Hazelnut Brazilian Chocolate Truffles
4. Double Chocolate Brownies
5. Red Velvet Cookie Cups

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