The younger generations—and possibly singer Sabrina Carpenter—have brought back the espresso martini. There’s no fighting it—stemmed glasses of rich, brown, caffeinated liquid dotted with three coffee beans are everywhere. Instead, we’re innovating it. Our espresso martini—a Texspresso Martini, if you will—has a Southern drawl, with mezcal adding a bit of smoke and pecans contributing richness.
With three ingredients, there’s only so much you can change up in this dessert (or brunch) cocktail, but this combination is pretty spectacular. Mezcal has always been an excellent pairing for coffee. As the old saying goes, what grows together goes together, and coffee is harvested in many areas of Mexico that also produce mezcal, including Oaxaca and Guerrero. And when we’re talking Texas, my mind always goes to pecans, one of our sweetest native ingredients.
Perhaps you’ve been reluctant to try making espresso martinis at home because you don’t own an espresso machine. While regular coffee isn’t strong enough to balance the alcohol, the cold brew concentrate sold in most grocery stores is. It’s meant to be diluted for a quick daytime drink, but it’s strong enough to make for a smashing substitute for espresso in this cocktail. Alas, it doesn’t give you that foamy surface when shaken, so if you miss that, you can add a splash of cream to the shaker. This drink makes use of a pecan-flavored cold brew, but you could use plain.
These are stunningly simple to make. Whether you’re shaking up a huge batch for a party or making a single glass to sip after work, you’ll quickly understand why it’s in vogue again.
Texspresso Martini
By adding pecan flavor and swapping vodka for mezcal, we gave the caffeinated cocktail even more of a kick.
- 2 ounces mezcal
- 1 ounce coffee-flavored liqueur such as Kahlua
- 1 ounce pecan-flavored cold brew concentrate
- 1 roasted pecan for garnish
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Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake for a solid thirty seconds. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, and float the pecan on the surface of the cocktail. Serve immediately.
