Coffee cocktails have come a long way since the iconic espresso martini. We’ve put together an espresso cocktail recipe that’s not only easy to make, but is refreshing and delicious.
Do you remember your first espresso martini? That startling smoothness, the sweet coffee combo, the zing of caffeine to put your night right on track…
It’s an iconic cocktail – so much so that we’ve got our own recipe for an espresso martini here and we even created a new version of the classic in honour of our lovely friend Nikki Parkinson.
It’s called the Styling You mocha espresso martini and it’s delicious.
But when we were recently loaned a new coffee machine to play with, Christina and I thought we’d do something a bit different to the classic espresso martini.
How to make a Stay Up Till Tequila Sunrise
Here’s what you need
– 60ml tequila reposado like El Jimador
– Double shot of espresso
– 30ml Kahlua Salted Caramel edition
– 15-20ml lemon juice
– 3 dashes Angostura bitters
– Orange peel to garnish
Here’s what you do
1. Stir (or shake actually) all the ingredients over ice then strain into an old fashioned glass, served on the rocks or up.
2. Garnish with the orange peal.
3. Make this a longer drink by topping up with aranciata Italian style bitter orange soda.
Note: If you don’t have the salted caramel Kahlua, you can use the regular one but you might need to add a measure of simple syrup to bring up the sweetness. Dissolve equal parts caster sugar in hot water to make the syrup.
You can watch us make the Stay Up Till Tequila Sunrise in our Cocktail Hour episode on IGTV here.
The golden tequila and lemon juice are a classic combo, lightening the spirit and toning the acidity of the citrus accordingly.
Rich earthiness and bitterness of the espresso (and its all-important hit of caffeine) blend with the sweetness of the Kahlua, and the Angostura bitters delivers a herbaceous note that builds layers to the drink.
All together, these flavours create a bright refreshing cocktail with a zap of caffeine perfect for getting the party started.
But one of the most important things about this recipe is to use a good-quality espresso. If you don’t have a machine at home, get a takeaway from the local cafe… or ever better, get one of these:
Which coffee machine? Jura S8
We’ve been given a new coffee machine from Jura to play with – the Jura S8 – and we’re really impressed with this compact yet full-function espresso machine.
Cafe-style espresso machines tend to be messy, fiddly, long-winded and – unless you know what you’re doing – disappointing. Capsule machines give you consistency, speed and very little mess, but don’t allow you to modify or adjust things much.
This Jura machine is pretty much the sweet spot between the two.
It has an integral grinder, so you can use your own beans. You can change things like the temperature, volume and strength of different coffee styles, and the touchscreen gives you lots of types of coffee to choose from.
The machine is easy to use, and works quickly and quietly. And the used grounds collect in the tray inside, so there’s virtually no mess to worry about.
For an automatic machine, the quality of the coffee is amazing – especially the espresso, ristretto and long black.
The milk steamer is fine, but you’re never going to get that same cafe-quality silky finish.
