“The Espresso Martini is great because it’s easy,” says Jackson Whittaker, beverage sales manager for specialty roasters Industry Beans. “[But] everyone was making them in lockdowns and realised they’re spending $20 to $25 on an Espresso Martini out, when they’re easy to make at home.”
Especially if you have an espresso machine. But, if you do, Whittaker says you may be adding some unintended astringency to your drink.
“Traditionally, an espresso out of a coffee machine will give you quite a strong and bitey part to your cocktail,” he says. “Using cold brew will give you a smoother taste.”
So how do you make cold brew? “You could use a basic cold brewer or any other apparatus to give you a great cold brew,” says Whittaker. “It’s just how strong you make it that will impact how your Martini tastes. Cold brews traditionally use a really coarse grind of coffee – as coarse as you can possibly make it. Generally I say to people making cold brew, try it after 12 hours. Then you can lengthen it out if you want a little bit more flavour. More time equals more strength.”
Another technique unique to De’Longhi’s new La Specialista Maestro machines is called “espresso cool”, which sits somewhere between cold brew and regular espresso. “Espresso cool is using the same pump pressure you would for a normal espresso, but instead of using boiling water it uses cold water,” says Whittaker. “So you get this extraction that doesn’t have the really strong, bitter notes of coffee. It maintains that smoothness.”
However you make it, once you have your cold brew this jaffa-flavoured drink comes together in a flash.
“It’s 30 mils of vodka, 30 mils of your coffee liqueur – you could use Kahlua; we prefer Mr Black – and then 30 mils of your espresso cool or cold brew,” says Whittaker. “If you like your Espresso Martini to have more of a coffee punch, use more coffee. If you like it to be a little bit smoother, use less coffee.”
You’ll also need some chocolate liqueur and a couple of dashes of a good orange bitters to get that authentic jaffa flavour. “You get that nice, rich chocolate flavour from the espresso and chocolate liqueur, and then you get a bite of orange with the orange bitters in there,” says Whittaker.
Here’s how to make Jackson Whittaker’s Jaffa Epresso Martini at home.
Recipe: Jackson Whittaker’s Jaffa Espresso Martini
Makes 1 serving
Approx. 1.7 standard drinks
Ingredients:
30ml vodka
30ml coffee liqueur
30ml cold brew or espresso cool
15ml chocolate liqueur
3 dashes orange bitters
Method:
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Close cocktail shaker and shake hard.
Double strain into a Martini or coupe glass, garnish with an orange twist and serve.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with De’Longhi.
