Best Espresso Martini Cocktail Recipe

Chalk it up to the vaccinated masses who never want the party to end: Like so many drinks once spurned, then embraced, by cocktail snobs, the espresso martini has finally gained the respect it deserves. Unlike its ignoble cousin, Red Bull and vodka, the espresso martini—which looks like the cocktail equivalent of a tuxedo—combines vodka, espresso, and coffee liqueur to offer late-night revelers a refined mindset: I’ll keep going, but I’ll keep it classy. 

Now you can sip loving riffs everywhere from New York’s Eleven Madison Park to Los Angeles’s Thunderbolt. Or you can riff at home: Swap the espresso for cold-brew concentrate. Or replace the traditionally used Kahlúa with a liqueur from a craft distiller such as St. George, Galliano, or, our favorite, Mr Black, whose robust, dry version the N.Y.C. bar Dante uses to make the best iteration we’ve tried. See if you can make it as delicious as they do.