Buongiorno amici! We hope you are all well.
Well…last month i was serenading Autumn in all it’s colourful, leafy glory. There have definitely been a few pots of minestrone bubbling away on our stove in the past few weeks as winter has begun to rear it’s frosty head.
As a family, we have had much to celebrate in the last month, but maybe i use ”celebrate” a little too loosely…you see our little munchkin has decided it is time to walk (insert awkward silence here). This is a massive deal for first-timers like us. As fantastic as this milestone initially seemed to us, we quickly learned that going out for a simple dinner could become somewhat chaotic…not impossible, just traumatic for anyone seated within a 5 metre radius of the miniature dictator trying to escape her highchair to practise her newfound skill.
Sooooo, we decided to have some friends over for dinner last weekend so that many a step could be practised in the privacy (i.e. scream and carry on as much as you like kid) of our own home. As I had made dinner for our guests and was a little time poor (yet still wanted to have some sort of Nigella grace), I decided that rather than making dessert for the end of our meal we could enjoy a cocktail together before they all ran screaming back to the sanity of their cars.
Italians and coffee. Need i say more? These days it’s rare to come across a domestic kitchen that does not have some sort of coffee making contraption. I tried the following recipe for Espresso Martinis a couple of times before I got it right. On the first go I used a coffee pod (oh the shame, i can hear all the Nonna’s yelling) and i did not get the lovely thick froth coating on top of the martini as you see in the pics. So it was time to get the old percolator out and see whether freshly brewed coffee made a difference and yes, I think it did. Also, after some research i found i needed to shake the cocktail shaker as though my life depended on it…this also may have helped with getting that lovely froth on top.
Our friends really enjoyed this little treat that we served with some little chocolates, we will definitely be making them again for our next dinner party. Fairly easy and a little theatrical with all the shaking…makes for a great end to a fun night. We hope you enjoy our guide to the delicious Espresso Martini.
You will need:
50mL Vodka (we like Grey Goose)
35mL Kahlua
25mL freshly brewed espresso
Ice cubes
Coffee beans to garnish
These ingredients will make one Espresso Martini.
How to:
Pop some ice into a martini glass to allow to chill while you get on with making the drink.
Add the vodka, Kahlua and coffee into a cocktail shaker and then fill the shaker with ice and replace the lid.
Shake that cocktail shaker as though it is your job. I found it takes at least a couple of minutes of quite vigorous shaking before the lovely froth begins to form.
Remove the ice from the waiting martini glass and pour the drink through a sieve into the glass. Be a fancy pants and garnish with a few coffee beans.
Saluti!
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