Frozen Espresso Martini

Thanks to espresso ice cubes, this Frozen Espresso Martini stays bold coffee flavor-forward with a smooth, slushy texture. With five simple ingredients, it can even be prepped ahead of time for easy entertaining.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why this recipe works
• 🗒 Ingredients
• ☕️ Recipe tips
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🍸 More fun martini recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

It always seems impossible to find the right time to drink an espresso martini. They don't complement most savory foods, so it's hard to order one with a meal. And they obviously contain espresso, so you don't want to drink one too late in the evening.

I've decided that a slow, hot afternoon at home is the perfect time to sip on one. And to make it even more of a refreshing treat, I recommend making your espresso martinis frozen!

These frozen espresso martinis are so easy to make and will have you suddenly thinking that there's no wrong time for an espresso martini!

❤️ Why this recipe works

I experimented with this recipe a lot because I wanted to get a good frozen consistency without going overboard on the espresso.

Here are some reasons why this recipe is the best!

Made with espresso ice cubes: by brewing espresso, cooling it, and turning it into ice cubes, you get all the espresso flavor in your martini without watering it down.

Plain ice cubes are also added: I wanted the martini to have lots of slushy goodness, but 3 oz of espresso in each was my limit. So, I also added plain water ice cubes to add to the frozen consistency.

Balanced espresso flavor: in addition to espresso, this martini has vodka and Kahlú in it. While the flavor is really balanced between the espresso and the alcohol, the coffee flavor really shines through.

Easy to control sugar: the addition of simple syrup helps sweeten the drink and makes it easy for you to control the sugar level. If you like a sweeter coffee drink, add more. If you prefer your espresso martinis all boldness, add less.

Can be made decaf: if you love espresso martinis, but also agree that there's no good time to drink one, make your espresso ice cubes with decaf espresso instead.

Easy to prep ahead of time: making these frozen espresso martinis for guests? Brew and cool your espresso ahead of time and pop it into ice cube trays to freeze. When your guests arrive, you can add everything into a blender and pour your drinks.

🗒 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make my frozen espresso martinis:

• Brewed and cooled espresso (will be turned into ice cubes in 1 oz ice cube tray
• Ice cubes: made in a 1 oz ice cube tray
• Vodka
• Kahlúa
• Simple syrup: homemade or store-bought syrup

☕️ Recipe tips

• Brew your espresso strong. If you don't have an espresso machine, you can use strongly brewed coffee or even cold brew concentrate.

• For this recipe that makes 2 frozen espresso martinis, you'll need 6 espresso ice cubes (1 oz each) and 6 plain ice cubes (1 oz each).

• Use a standard ice cube tray that makes 1 oz. ice cubes. You can use another size, but be sure to aim for about 3 oz. espresso in each martini and 3 oz. of water.

• Silicone ice cube trays make is easier to pop the espresso cubes out.

• To make your own plain syrup, use this simple syrup recipe, but omit the addition of jalapeños.

• For ultimate results, chill your martini glasses ahead of time. You can even chill your vodka and Kahlúa to keep everything super cold and icy.

• I recommend using about 1 oz of simple syrup (for 2 drinks), but feel free to add more if you like a sweeter drink or less for a bolder one.

• Don't over-blend. You should aim for about 20 seconds of blending time. If you blend the mixture too much, it could actually start to heat up.

• Pour your martinis into the chilled glasses right away and garnish with the standard 3 coffee beans.

And take a nice icy sip of the most perfectly balanced frozen espresso martini.

It's bold, it's refreshing, and it has just the right amount of sweetness and Kahlúa flavor. I love how it had the most beautiful frothy cap on top.

I didn't think it was possible to love espresso martinis more than I already did.

🎉 Variations on recipe

This recipe is for a pretty standard espresso martini, frozen-style. If you want to add some extra fun to the martini, here are some things you can do:

• Instead of plain simple syrup, use a salted caramel syrup or the simple syrup flavor of your choice. Brown sugar syrup or cinnamon dolce syrup would also be delicious.

• You could also make this into a seasonal pumpkin spice espresso martini by giving the glass a cinnamon sugar rim and replacing the plain syrup with pumpkin spice syrup.

• Make it a mocha espresso martini by adding a little mocha sauce or crème de cacao. Dust the top of the martini with some cocoa powder.

• Turn the drink into a frozen mudslide style drink by adding an ounce or two of half-and-half or using Baileys to replace some of the vodka. You can also try using oat milk or coconut cream.

• Use coconut vodka to give the espresso a tropical twist.

• Replace the vodka with bourbon for a different kind of boldness.

• Make affogato dessert style by topping the martinis with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

🍸 More fun martini recipes

If you want to implement a martini night in your home, here are some more fun drink recipes for you to try:

Hopefully you can find some time in your day to enjoy a dessert martini!

I hope you find the right time of day (or night) to enjoy a frozen espresso martini!

📖 Recipe