Using coffee as an ingredient in mocktails like this Espresso Martini mocktail is a surefire way to create bold, balanced drinks that are nonalcoholic but still feel indulgent and special. As an ingredient itself, coffee has a lot that works in a nonalcoholic drink: the liquid has body and texture, it foams beautifully, it contains a large depth of flavors from bright to bitter, and the caffeine boost helps create a happy feeling that some may miss when skipping spirited drinks. Plus, this cocktail calls for a pretty stemmed glass, contains a ton of texture from the foam, and has a classic coffee bean garnish that your brain will recognize and appreciate as a classic espresso martini.

All of this attention to detail will add up to make a beautiful mocktail presentation, which is so important when you're crafting sober friendly cocktails.

With this nonalcoholic espresso martini recipe, you can mix up a tray of these at home like a professional, delighting your guests or giving yourself an indulgent boost to your evening.

The complex syrup will make this mocktail nuanced and delicious, so you can make a nonalcoholic espresso martini that sacrifices nothin.

While the coffee itself lends itself really nicely to a nonalcoholic drink, so does the neutral spirit traditionally used in the cocktail. Vodka is easily removed from the recipe, flavorwise, because it is a spirit that is designed to be neutral and lightly flavored. To make this nonalcoholic cocktail, I suggest adding in more flavor and the typical "warmth" of a spirit by introducing a nonalc whiskey. You can also try using other nonalcoholic spirits you may have on hand, such as the Pathfinder (a delightfully spicy and bitter nonalc spirit made here in Seattle), or skip the nonalcoholic liquor completly by adding a mix of water and half and half instead. This nonalcoholic Epresso Martini recipe uses 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.

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 zero proof coffee cocktails like this one.

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.  

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.

Ingredients

• 1 cups large cubed ice
• ¾ oz Simple Goodness Syrups Nordic Coffee syrup, or syrup of choice (try Apple Pie or Oh My Gourd)
• 1 1/2 ounces non-alcoholic whiskey (or substitute with water)
• 1/2 ounce half and half
• 1 oz espresso, chilled (or use 1 ounce of cold brew concentrate, nondilluted, should be a 2:1 ratio concentrate)
• 3 whole coffee beans or fresh grated nutmeg, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, measure out all ingredients. Shake HARD for 60 seconds to emulsify ingredients and develop the foam on the nonalc 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.