Espresso Martini Without Kahlua (Best Easy Substitutes)

A square photo with two champagne flutes filled with a cold-brew coffee liqueur. A pink white tea towel in the background

Espresso Martini Without Kahlua (Best Easy Substitutes)

No Kahlua? No problem. This espresso martini uses easy coffee liqueur substitutes like Tia Maria — same frothy top, same intense coffee flavor, ready in 5 minutes.

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Drinks

Cuisine English, European Cuisine

Servings cocktails

Calories 211 kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic

Instructions

If you like it, dab the glass rim of the martini glasses (or cocktail glass) in advance in some water and then press it into gold powder.
1 teaspoon edible gold
Put all ingredients in the cocktail shaker and shake hard for 15–20 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is frosty and almost too cold to hold. Keep a finger on the cap — it can jump off (experience expert 😉).
1 handful ice cubes, ⅓ cup Vodka, ¼ cup coffee liqueur, 1 cup espresso, 1 teaspoon confectioners sugar
Leave the strainer on the shaker and pour the Martini espresso into the glasses.

NOTES

1. My version is deliberately coffee-forward and lighter on alcohol than a bar espresso martini — closer to an iced coffee with a kick. For a stronger, classic-style drink, double the vodka and halve the espresso.

2. Espresso: If you don't have an espresso machine, make the espresso with instant espresso powder that you can buy in the store

3. Confectioner's sugar: Adds a little sweetness to the espresso martini. You can also omit this if you don't want to add extra sugar.

4. Coffee liqueur:

See the substitutes block in the blog above for great ideas.
Using a chocolate liqueur such as crème de cacao, Bailey's Irish cream, or licor 43 chocolate is also a great idea instead of a coffee liqueur. This gives a creamy espresso martini. The creamy cocktail isn't dairy free when using one of these.
Or mix a touch of cinnamon with this cocktail (also delicious).

5. Where does the foam come from? No egg white needed. The crema on freshly pulled espresso plus a genuinely hard shake creates the foam layer naturally. Two rules: the espresso must be fresh (brewed within the hour — crema fades) but cooled (hot espresso melts the ice and kills the froth), and you must shake like you mean it. If you’re using instant espresso powder, add the optional egg white — instant coffee has no crema to work with.

6. Storage

Make the cocktail fresh; you cannot store it.

Nutrition

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