Ohh la la, espresso martinis. I don't know how cocktail geeks feel about espresso martinis. My gut tells me that some of the 'cool kids' in the cocktail world might sneer at the thought of an espresso martini as it seems like it was overplayed back in the day like the Cosmo or Appletini. Regardless, one of the cocktail-centric YouTube channels I enjoy espoused their love for the drink and having never personally enjoyed one, my interest was piqued.
The recipe featured on YouTube calls for a specific coffee liqueur, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, which will not come as too much of a surprise if you spend time perusing cocktail-centric channels on YouTube. Mr. Black exploded in popularity in the United States right around 2019 and it seemed like it was the de facto coffee component for any cocktail recipe found on the Web that required such a flavor. The new hotness of Mr. Black plays beautifully into this week's side-by-side cocktail theme as there is another coffee liqueur in the world, and not just any old liqueur, but a titan, the fabled Kahlua. How does the new kid stack up to the OG? What better way to find out...
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce espresso
- 2/3 ounce coffee liqueur (Mr. Black for one, Kahlua Especial for the other)
- 1/3 ounce vanilla syrup (I cheated here and added real vanilla extract to taste to a simple syrup)
Composition
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake it like you mean it, double-strain and serve.
Results
Before discussing the drinks, it is insightful to discuss how Mr. Black and Kahlua compare to each other. Kahlua is rum-based with coffee and vanilla added. Mr. Black is vodka-based that coffee is cold brewed/steeped in. The Kahlua is significantly sweeter than the Mr. Black when sipped neat. Kahlua tastes precisely like a coffee and vanilla syrup. Mr. Black on the other hand reminds me of an imperial stout - roasty, toasty, and not inherently sweet, but also not bitter.
The differences between the two coffee liqueurs absolutely carryover into the cocktails. The Mr. Black-based martini is not overly sweet, in fact I'd say its sweetness is neutral and perhaps just a whisker bitter. The Kahlua version is significantly sweeter, but not in a cloying way. The espresso notes dominate both drinks and truth be told, the vodka is completely invisible. Neither taste as though they have any alcohol in them at all which is quite remarkable (and potentially dangerous).
As for our personal preference, we are split down the middle on this one. Matic opted for the Mr. Black version and I opted for the Kahlua version. It's fitting that I tend to sweeten my coffee and espresso whereas my better half does not to the same degree. Therein lies the litmus one can use to determine which version to serve - for folks that take their espresso au naturel, the Mr. Black version is the way to roll. For those that want a touch more sweetness, it's the OG Kahlua that will carry the day.
One final note - both versions, while delicious, did not strike either of us as a mid-day or early-evening type of cocktail. Coffee for us tends to be a early morning or occasional post-dinner beverage. As such, these cocktails felt more appropriate as an after dinner libation, but your mileage may vary depending on how you enjoy espresso and coffee in your day to day life.
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