Coffee and more importantly caffeine have been a staple for society since the middle of the 15th century.

Having not needed caffeine and disposing the acrid taste of black coffee, I never saw the need to combine it with a few other ingredients to create a nectar so delicious, that it’s nearly impossible just to have one.

My attempts with this blog are to impart or share some of my experiences with espresso martini’s that I have sampled, tasted and ok…. basically slurped until all that was left in the glass were three little small coffee beans.

I have started keeping a log of the various espresso martini’s from around the US and now including other countries outside of the US that I have visited.

This one shown here is from one of my favorite restaurants in Gulfport, FL. It’s incredibly delicious. Great color and taste, right amount of sweetness for this hummingbird and all in all, a great espresso Martini. Definitely a 9.8 out of 10!

Oh yea, I started to develop a rating scale for all of the espresso martini’s I’ve been sampling. Let’s be honest for a minute. We’ve all had a really GREAT drink and we’ve all had horrible drinks.

For espresso martini’s, personally, I think it comes down to a few key things. Certainly Taste, Color, Aroma and presentation. These are the most obvious ones.

There are a couple of others that I would consider in a score/rating which include such things as Froth, Number of beans (if any), a Garnish.

Taste: The key to a perfect taste rating is finding the balance between sweet and bitter. Preferably, there are strong flavors of coffee that are complimented by hints of sugar and cream. Bad espresso martinis typically are over powered with a strong coffee flavor, or are too sweet like crème liquor. As with all good things in life, a 10/10 ‘tini has balance.

Color: An outstanding espresso martini is the color of a rich, dark espresso. However, unlike espresso, the drink itself must be obscure and let little to no light through. This may seem trivial to the average martini consumer, but a connoisseur knows that this means the drink isn’t watered down. Think of a strong mocha, and the strength that it conveys. If the color is right, the cocktail usually is too.

Aroma: Aahhhhh, the aroma, the smell. The pinnacle of the senses, the olfactory trump card. Aroma is just as important as taste. You should get the aroma of a freshly brewed shot of espresso, along with sweet notes of cane sugar. Let it be known, there have been cocktails with zero smell. Let it be known again, those espresso martinis have never scored above a five.

Froth: An espresso martini without a creamy, frothy head? That’s not an espresso martini that we’ll touch. Ideal froth is light and fluffy, and around a third to half an inch thick. The froth is what allows for a solid Belgian dip. A lack of froth results in an automatic one point deduction from your score. Too much froth can also impede the ability to taste that nectar and detract from the drink itself. Imagine pouring a beautifully chilled beer into a glass too fast and have HALF of the beer be head.

Number of Beans: Most of the conditions we’ve outlined above have a little bit of wiggle room, some space for subjectivity if you will. This is a HARD line – non negotiable. An espresso martini must have three (3) beans on top of the froth. Expect an one point deduction for anything other than three beans. Too many beans is also no good and appears sloppy. Deductions for too many beans as well.

Presentation: The drink has to be clean, put together, combining all of the elements outlined above. Great color and Aroma, a thick foam head, and three beans, perfectly aligned. Too often we see good martinis served in pint glasses or non-traditional Martini glasses. If you’re going to go through this much effort as a mixologist, take the time to find the traditional rounded martini glass to compliment your efforts.

eXtra: Finally, points can be won for fun additions to the drink. Have a little extra left in the shaker? Add a sidecar! Powdered chocolate garnish over the beans, sugar coated rim? Yes please! This is a chance for the mixologist to really showcase their creativity. When you’re rating them, feel free to add points for these exceptional bonuses. Note: you always lose points for a lemon garnish or trying to sprinkle parmesan cheese. Why do people continue to do this?

If the guidelines above are followed, you’ll have yourself a ten out of ten espresso martini. Unfortnately, too often one or more of these factors is entirely ignored in the making of the drink. Only the upper echelon of drink makers remember all of them, and are rewarded with the coveted ten point rating. Don’t be afraid to grade hard in the future, challenge your high school chemistry teacher and hold your standards high

Good color, aroma, froth, glass… no Beans!! This one was from the lobby bar in The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Score 8.7

Good froth, nice glass, kinda creamy, and… no Beans!! This one scored an 8.3 from a bar in mid-town NYC.

Downtown St Pete – Great froth, there were 3 beans (you can only see 1). Color was exceptional. Taste was surprisingly a little on the bitter side. 9.1

Homemade espresso martini’s are often-times the BEST. This one was made with Espresso flavored Vodka, a shot of Carmel Vodka and Kahlua. Delish! 9.8

Interesting Garnish. Good Froth. This was from a neighborhood bar/restaurant. Terrible tasting. Don’t think I even finished it. 6.5

Fantastic tasting, aroma, color, only 2 beans, nice froth. Made in California!! Monterey area. 9.81

Here they’re trying to do too much “X-factor”. No way should there be lemon shavings in an espresso martini. GHAST. I think this restaurant is in St Pete (on the beach) and tried to make a dessert espresso Martini. They tried too hard. Way too creamy, little to no froth. No beans. Whipped Cream. 6.2

Toronto Canada (love our neighbors from the north)… Might have been too cold as there were still ice pieces in the espresso martini from mixing it. It diluted the drink was made poorly. 7.7

When in Rome… as in Rome, Italy (yes). FANTASTIC coffee aroma and taste (shocker). Nice froth and 3 beans. Great color. Could have been a little sweeter. Little over-powering on the Coffee flavor. 9.1

Restaurant in Reston, Virginia – One of the best espresso martini’s. Score 9.88. Color, Taste, Aroma, Froth, Beans. Didn’t need anything extra. Might have had TWO!!

Another venue in Rome. This one was equally as delicious as the previous one from Rome. 9.4

Let’s stay in the country (Rome) and travel down the coast a little to Sorrento. Nice froth and color but taste was acrid. No beans. Score 6.8. Better to drink the Limoncello than Espresso Martini’s in Sorrento.

This one on Capri hands down best espresso martini ever (except for the ones made for me at home ;-). Color, Clarity, Taste, Aroma, Froth, Beans. Full package. Score 9.9

Welcome to Miami! Beans, Color, Taste. This was at a local hotel in downtown Miami. Not a lot of froth but still delicious. Score 9.2

Another home-made one… with some whipped cream and Carmel. Certainly sweet enough for me. No espresso martini’s for the pooches, tho they smacked their lips hoping for a taste of that nectar. Score 9.6

One of several different types of espresso flavored vodka.

Austin Texas definitely has some great espresso martini’s. This one has some major x-factor. Colors, Taste, Aroma, Froth, Beans… Check, check and check again. Score 9.4

Three more favorite Espresso Vodka’s. Van Gogh is a fan favorite… actually double-espresso. The far right, Cafe Patron, is actually better to be sipped straight up with a block of ice. Of course those who would prefer a tequila infused espresso martini, this Cafe Patron is excellent.

Sometimes, espresso Martini’s are “dessert” martinis. This one was from a local establishment in St Pete. It was quite delicious. Very sweet, no beans, but color, taste, aroma were exceptional. Score: 9.4

And after a long day of scuba diving, what better refreshment to consume than a tasty espresso martini. This one was at a small Mexican restaurant on the east side of the Caymen Islands. Nice thick froth, beautiful color and quite tasty. I believe this one was made with espresso infused tequila. Score 9.2

Be careful when consuming these treats at altitude. Smooth and delicious after a long day of skiing, but be mindful of the effects of altitude and alcohol. This beauty was in Breckenridge, CO. Great presentation, taste, beans, froth and color. Sweetness could have been a little higher. Maybe it was the altitude 😉 Score 8.8

And did you know there was an actual Espresso Martini national day?!?!? Yes… March 15th if you missed it. Don’t worry if you did, it’ll come back around again… and you know what? EVERYDAY is espresso martini day and here are three different type of espresso martini’s for you to choose from.

Houston, Texas makes some of the best food… AND best espresso martinis. Think this one was after a Cloud Adventure event we hosted in Houston. I “may” have had more than one here. They were great. Color, three beans, taste. froth was a little smaller than I like, but still over all delish and what better way than to share with a friend! Score 9.4

Here’s one with some eXtra pizzaz. Love the design done on top. This one was from a small trattoria in Sorrento, Italy. Color was ok, 3 beans, nice froth, amazing design pattern in the froth. Little bitter for me. Could have been a tad sweeter. Score: 8.4

After an amazing night of watching Roma play Milan at Olympic Stadium, nothing spells “ahhhhhhhh” like a few espresso martinis. These had 4 beans in them. Decent size glasses too (think they doubled as margarita glasses). Never-the-less, these were pretty good ones!! Score 9.15

Annapolis, MD has some pretty cool things. Not sure I would go out of my way to drink an espresso martini, but I certainly would go there to visit and drink with friends. Not even sure what these had in them. Some kind of froth/cream. Didn’t really do it for me. no beans, and chocolate syrup instead. Hmmmm. Score: 7.9 for the drink. 10.0 for the friends.

The fabulous Island of Bonaire has world class diving (dining too). As far as espresso martini’s go, I think we sampled at least 8 or 9 different ones from around the island. Best one was from Sebastians restaurant. Score 9.6. Michelle even found a liquor store with espresso vodka!!!

Back to the Caymen Islands for a minute… two GREAT espresso martini’s were at a Tiki hut restaurant on the far east side (Tukkah’s) and the Ritz on the West side. Both incredible espresso martini’s. Froth, color, beans, Chocolate and aroma. Scores 9.3 and 9.4 respectively.

California (NorCal) has been making some killer espresso martini’s. This one was from an asian-fusion restaurant in downtown SF. This one was so good, you could even say it nearly “evaporated”. 9.5 for this one.

Recent trip to Rochester, NY (Penfield restaurant/bar). These beauties had EVERYTHING but the beans. Color, taste, froth… even Xfactor with the coated rims. Shame these had to take a “de-merit” due to lack of beans. 9.0

Every now and then, you get a really, really bad espresso martini. Bar/Pub in Webster, NY. These weren’t even drinkable. Taste was… well.. it was disgusting. Even an added shot of Khalua and Sugar water wasn’t enough to save this one. Score: 4.4

These were EXCEPTIONAL espresso martinis and they were TEQUILLA based!! Thats just crazy. They were so delish, we consumed them before I even had a chance to snap a pic. Great color, taste, 3 beans, impeccable flavor, healthy froth. These were from a prominent SoCal establishment. Always great to enjoy with friends. Score: 9.8

Hot-lanta, GA – great people, great food, great town…. espresso martini’s, at least at this steak and seafood establishment downtown was menz-a-menz. Was delivered a shaker and had to “shake” and pour my own (hmmmm). Zero froth. Taste ok. Color, little light. No Xfactor. Presentation… I had to pour the drink!!! Score: 8.1

No matter where in the world we go, when I need that special espresso martini, that needs a little extra “kick” or extra “sweet”, only one person knows how to deliver that one!!! Michelle!!! Score… 10!

Enjoy!!

Josh