Calling all coffee + cocktail lovers! A Cold Brew Martini is made without espresso and is a cinch to shake up. Beyond delicious!
The holidays, girls night, book club, a Friday night – any time is a good time for a double-buzzy, gorgeous, and seriously yummy Cold Brew Martini (or two)!
Cold Brew Martini — No Espresso Required
One of my favorite shows on TV is Below Deck where camera crews follow young stewardesses and deck hands as they work on super-yachts around the world. Captain Lee’s one liners never fail to make me laugh, and I always look over my shoulder expecting him to be looking on disapprovingly when my laundry room gets out of sorts. Yikes!
One of the cocktails the stewardesses are almost constantly making for their demanding clients is Espresso Martinis – a mixture of espresso, vodka, and coffee liqueur. For YEARS I have wanted to make one at home – alas, I don’t have an espresso machine, and you can’t make an espresso martini without espresso.
Unless you swap espresso for store-bought cold brew concentrate!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItWhy Use Cold Brew Concentrate
Think of a Cold Brew Martini as the more accessible version of an espresso martini that you can shake up in moments right at home. These cold brew cocktails deliver a double buzz of caffeine and vodka and are so, so delicious. Sweet but not cloying, with that satisfying coffee undertone.
It almost takes like coffee ice cream mixed with vodka. You’re welcome.
I debated using cold, strongly-brewed coffee as the base of these martinis, but the concentrate really delivers an espresso-like flavor. Once mixed with the coffee cream liqueur and vodka, the dilution and flavor of the concentrate is perfectly smooth.
How to Make Cold Brew Martini
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make your own Cold Brew Martini at home:
- Vodka: I like gluten free Tito’s.
- Cold Brew Concentrate: I find this Starbucks concentrate at Super Target. Again, we’re looking for cold brew CONCENTRATE, not cold brew.
- Coffee Cream Liqueur: I like Somrus because the label specifically says gluten free. It’s a mixture of coffee, rum, and cream, and is deliciously sweet and syrupy. I love this slightly elevated, creamy swap for the plain coffee liqueur that’s usually used in Espresso Martinis.
I haven’t tested, but if you can’t find Somrus, I ASSUME you could swap in Kahlua then add a splash of cream for a similar flavor. I love that Somrus says right on the label that it’s gluten free though, which is pretty much unheard of in the speciality liqueur industry.
Ok! Fill your cocktail shaker halfway up with ice then pour equal parts of all three ingredients inside and shake until extremely cold – 30 seconds.
Pour the martini into a chilled martini glass then sip, sip, hooray! I happened to have a bag of espresso beans, which are edible, in the freezer at the time of this writing so I garnished with three beans, similar to how espresso martinis are garnished.
No matter what occasion you shake these up for – cheers, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 oz Cold Brew Concentrate, 3 Tablespoons
- 1-1/2 oz Coffee Cream Liqueur, 3 Tablespoons
- 1-1/2 oz vodka, 3 Tablespoons
Directions
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway up with ice then add ingredients inside.
- Place the lid on top then shake vigorously for 30 seconds or until extremely cold. Pour into a chilled martini glass then serve.
Notes
- I like Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrate, Somrus Coffee Cream Liqueur, and Tito’s Vodka. Check labels to ensure these products are gluten free in your market.
- I garnish these martinis with espresso beans. You can garnish with regular roasted coffee beans, but I wouldn’t recommend eating them. Espresso beans are roasted longer than coffee beans so they are easier to eat whole.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Hi. I just made my own cold brew and this recipe looks amazing. Is there a big difference between Somrus and Kahlua? I have kahlua here. Never heard of it. I live in NJ near NYC and 2 popular liquor stores near me don’t carry Somrus. Bummer. Going to make it anyways with Kahlua
Kahlua doesn’t have cream, so I mentioned in the post that you could most likely use Kahlua and then add a splash of cream if you are able!
I could only get my hands on kahlua. For science I tried one without half and half and one with.
The findings – the one without half and half has the color of a traditional espresso martini and tastes amazing. The foam was a little lackluster though. The one with just a splash of half and half? The foam was perfect and lasted the entire cocktail. The tiny bit of half and half also gave a nice smooth finish to each sip. Both versions are tasty, but adding cream wins in my book!
Love it, Anne!! I will keep this little hack in mind for next time!
I definitely go for making my own cold brew coffee though I can think of plenty of times that having some concentrate to hand is much easier. Kahlua is more readily available than Somrus in the UK. Thanks, I know what I’ll be drinking this evening. ;-)
Fabulous! Cheers, Jon, I hope you love them!
*Sheepily raises hand* Also a fan of Below Deck. My husband got me into it! Such a guilty pleasure. Makes me thankful I’m no longer in my drama-filled 20s, and can psycho-analyze safely from my couch. But I do envy their yachting travels. You are right — Lee is a riot in a cantankerous grandpa sort of way. But if I had to choose a captain to work for it would be Glenn from Sailing Yacht — super chill and fun. Happy new year and keep the delicious recipes coming.
Oh yeah – Glen is a dream captain – as you said, super chill. I love them ALL! Happy new year to you, too!!
YUM! Thanks for sharing and for using Somrus Coffee Cream Liqueur! We can’t wait to make this. Cheers to a happy New Year ????????
They are a treat from the first sip to the last! Thanks so much for creating such an excellent, gluten free product!
I love these and I also chocolate martinis if you get a chance try them they may be your new best friend by the way keep the recipes coming I follow you every day I all your recipes thanks
That sounds so delicious, Jill! I’m so glad you are loving the content!!
Looks simply decadent! I’m adding coffee liqueur to my Total Wine list so we can make these tomorrow
Nice!! I hope you love them, Janet! Happy new year!
Yum, this looks delicious! I’ve only made them with espresso, but I love cold brew! Another GF coffee liqueur is Mr. Black! It’s made with cold brew and vodka. Says right on the label that it’s GF! So you could double up with extra cold brew :)
Oo, I’ll look for that! I like the idea of double vodka and double brew! That Somrus is a treat if you ever get a hankering to try! It’s kind of like Bailey’s but made with rum and coffee instead of whiskey and cocoa.