Make the perfect espresso for espresso martinis

We all love a good espresso martini, in fact we’ve put together the perfect espresso mini keg system so that you can enjoy them wherever you may be, but have you been wondering how to make the perfect espresso to go into your martini without having to shell out hundreds of euros for a big espresso machine?

Well if you’re even slightly into making coffee there’s a good chance you already have a french press or a moka pot, so let's take a look at two of the best and easiest ways to make espresso for your martinis at home!

With a French Press:

Ideally with everything coffee related you’d be grinding your own beans just as you’re ready to make your coffee so that it’s as fresh as fresh can be, but of course as long as you’re using high quality ground coffee it’ll be okay. 

Ingredients:

• 36g (½ cup) dark roast medium fine ground coffee beans
• 205mL (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) water

Method:

1. Heat the water to almost boiling, 93-95 degrees celsius 
2. Add your ground coffee to your french press, carefully pour the hot water over your coffee
3. Stir the coffee and water together to make sure all the ground coffee is wet so that it can infuse properly. Leave to sit for 4 minutes.
4. After 4 minutes slowly press the plunger on your french press all the way down
5. Allow to cool before using it for your espresso martinis

With a Moka Pot:

Ingredients:

• 20g (¼ cup) finely ground dark roast coffee
• 300g (1 ⅜ cups) water

Method:

1. Add the water to the bottom half of the pot until it reaches the valve
2. Add the coffee to the funnel until level with the top. Place the funnel into the bottom of the pot and screw the top onto the base.
3. Place over a medium heat
4. Wait 5 - 7 minutes for the coffee to brew, at around 3 - 5 minutes you’ll hear the coffee start to bubble, once the bubbling sound has finished the coffee is done.
5. When you lift the lid of the pot it should now be full of coffee, if not keep it on the stove top to continue to fill.
6. Leave to cool before using for your espresso martinis.

Still too much work?

If that sounds like too much work we have you covered and have a coffee concentrate which works just as well. Otherwise consider running down to your local coffee shop and asking for an espresso or two.

Now to make the perfect Espresso Martini

We’ve written before about how to make the perfect espresso martini and you can find our detailed step by step guidehere.

But if you’ve got one of our iKegger 2.0 mini keg systems (like our espresso martini kit, or cocktail system) it couldn’t be easier to create amazing espresso martinis at home!

Our recipe is as easy as can be, all you need is your delicious freshly made espresso or cold brew concentrate, vodka, kahlua and ice in a 1:1:1:0.4 ratio.

So for a 2L keg that would be:

• 500ml espresso
• 500ml of vodka
• 500ml kahlua
• One tray of ice cubes
• 2g nitrogen bulbs*

As long as you keep the ratio the same, you can increase or decrease this recipe with ease!

Method:

1. Make sure all ingredients are chilled and add them to your keg.
2. Screw in the tap and attach the regulator.
3. Make sure the regulator is off, screw in a nitrogen bulb and turn the pressure up to 40psi.
4. Shake the keg! The more nitrogen you can absorb into the liquid the better your creamy foam will be.
5. Turn the regulator off, remove the nitrogen bulb and attach another for serving, setting the pressure at 20psi.
6. Slowly press down on the tap button, the harder you press the faster it pours.
7. Drink and enjoy!