Coffee cocktails have a long tradition, and the espresso martini is recently poipping as the most popular cocktail ordered in cities like Vegas and New York, NY. They're delicious, they help wake you up and create an energetic buzz, and they use one of my favorite ingredinets: coffee! Now you can mix up a tray of these at home like a pro, with this espresso martini recipe.

Can you make your own simple syrup for this espresso martini? Sure!

You can make a simple syrup on a stove top and play with your own flavors, or use the Simple Goodness syrups line, where we've done the work for you. Simple Goodness syrups use only organic cane sugar, no dyes and real, whole foods ingredients. They work beautifully in coffee and coffee coocktails like this one.

Coffee liqueur (think brands like Kahlua, Bailey's, Mr. Black's, etc) is typically made by infusing vodka with coffee and spices, then adding sugar and possibly cream. It requires refrigeration after opening and is an extra bar bottle you'd typically have to run out and buy, but no more! Instead, this espresso martini recipe uses half and half (an ingredient I always have on hand for my morning cofee or baking) and Simple Goodness Nordic Coffee syrup, which is our not so simple syrup, infused with fair trade spices, whole handscraped organic vanilla beans and the finest Caffe Vita coffee, independently roasted in Seattle since 1992.

Effectively, the two of these together plus the heavier pour of vodka create a homemade coffee liqueur right within the recipe, so you can make an espresso martini with what you are more likely to have on hand.

You can use any Simple Goodness syrup here for the tastiest, most high quality seasonal espresso martinis. Blueberry Lavender, Apple Pie, and Oh My Gourd are some of our favorites. Or stick, with the classic vanilla and coffee espresso martini flavor profile and use Simple Goodness Nordic Coffee syrup.

The Nordic Coffee syrup is some seriously delicious and high quality stuff (I'd bet it's of far higher quality than the stuff they put in that coffee liqueur) making an especially elegant and lightly spiced espresso martini recipe with notes of clove, nutmeg and vanilla.

Ingredients

• 1 cups large cubed ice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1-ounce cold brew concentrate or 1 oz espresso, chilled
• ¾ oz Simple Goodness Syrups Nordic Coffee syrup, or syrup of choice (try Apple Pie or Oh My Gourd)
• 3 whole coffee beans or fresh grated nutmeg, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, measure out all ingredients. (Optional- add half ounce of cream to the shaker.) Shake HARD for 60 seconds to emulsify ingredients and develop the foam on the cocktail. The hard shake action is what will create the tall foam that distinguishes this drink, so do not be shy with the shake! After one full minute of shaking, strain the drink into a chilled martini glass or coupe. Garnish with 3 coffee beans or fresh grated nutmeg.

Note: You can adjust the sweetness to taste. You can also substitute a non-dairy creamer, but if you do, we recommend buying barista quality nondairy milks, as they are are formualted to build foam better.