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Dark Chocolate Espresso Martini
The espresso martini is the perfect cocktail for when you need to party past your bedtime. Our recipe for this classic martini riff brings more than just espresso to the table, with the addition of deep chocolate flavor from Hollander Dutched Dark Chocolate Café sauce and a fun little viral vodka experiment involving one of our BWT AQUAlizer pitchers. In addition to the classic three bean garnish, an orange twist elevates the chocolate notes for a decadent all-nighter extender.
Recipe Details
- Complexity - Medium
- Serves - 1
- Prep Time - 10 Min
- Cost - ($$)
Ingredients
- Approx. 1 - 1 ¼ fl oz (30-36 ml) espresso (Whole Latte Love Buzzopolis)
- 1fl oz (~120 ml) BWT Filtered Vodka
- 1fl oz (~120 ml) Coffee Liqueur (Mr. Black, St. George. Etc.)
- Hollander Café Dutched Dark Chocolate - 0.5 fl oz / 15 ml
- Orange (garnish)
- Ice
Equipment
- Espresso machine
- BWT AQUAlizer pitcher
- Cocktail shaker
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Shot glass pitcher/Cocktail jigger
A Note on Filtering Vodka
If you've seen the trend, some people claim that you can improve the flavor of vodka by running it through a water filter. We decided to put this claim to the test with one of our BWT AQUAlizer pitchers. The general consensus was that BWT filtered vodka tasted cleaner, smoother and burned less. We know for a fact that magnesium is a great flavor carrier for coffee, and Zach might have a white paper for you on how it improves the flavor of vodka as well. If you're up for an experiment, we recommend giving it a try!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine Your Ingredients
Measure and combine your ingredients in a cocktail shaker. We recommend using a sweeter, more chocolate forward espresso. Our Crema Wave, Beaned Up, or single origin Guatemala are great choices for this recipe. To better incorporate that café sauce, we recommend adding it first alongside your espresso and gently stirring or swirling them together in your shaker before adding your other ingredients and your ice.
Add Ice and Shake
Once your ingredients are combined, shake vigorously. It's important to make sure you add enough ice to properly chill your martini and to make sure that you firmly secure the halves of your shaker to ensure that it's properly sealed and prevent spills.
Pour Into Your Glass
Pour hard to help maintain your layer of foam. You can also double strain for even smoother results by eliminating an small pieces of ice that might have made it through your shaker.
Garnish and Enjoy
In addition to the artfully placed coffee beans, garnish your espresso martini with a slice of orange zest. Start by cutting a strip of zest vertically and trim the edges and any white pith. Twist the strip over your martini to express the oils from the orange, then cut a slit into the peel and secure it over the edge of your glass.
Photography by Grace Walker
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Tested in our favorite machines, Whole Latte Love Crema Wave is a delicious 100% Arabica blend medium roast coffee with sweet notes of almond and honey. -
The AKU scale from Varia is a compact and precise coffee and espresso scale with a waterproof design and 0.1 gram accuracy. Its aluminum housing imparts a premium tactile feel not found in competing scales at this price. -
Our Guatemala Huehuetenango coffee blends several types of arabica beans. It's organically grown, sustainably sourced, and brews savory full-bodied coffee. -
The ECM coffee distributor produces a perfectly polished puck of coffee to ensure even tamping and eliminate channeling while brewing. -
Handmade in the USA, notNeutral’s VERO drinkware marries the style of traditional barware with modern design to achieve a set of coffee and espresso glasses that delivers on aesthetics and performance. -
With its revolutionary PID controller that actively monitors and regulates the temperature at the brew group, the ECM Mechanika MAX redefines the potential of heat exchanger espresso machines. Its sleek exterior houses robust functionality like programmable on/off times, various pre-infusion options, maintenance reminders, and most importantly a compact and plumbable rotary pump. -
ECM's Push Tamper is designed to guarantee consistent tamping depth and pressure to help with pulling shot after perfect shot. -
The ECM WDT Tool is designed to break up clumps and help to evenly distribute fines in your portafilter before tamping.
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The C-Manuale 54 from ECM is one of the most powerful grinders on the market for its price-point, featuring a set of 54mm stainless steel burrs and a powerful 235 watt motor to put it ahead of the competition. -
Our Beaned Up coffee has out of this world notes of marshmallow, graham crackers and berries and is blended from ethically and sustainably sourced coffees.
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