The Best Espresso Martinis in Melbourne
The espresso martini, or ‘spressy mart’ to her friends, is back big time. No longer just the bittersweet mistake of bottomless brunch or watery half-hearted happy hour. It’s been elevated, riffed and transformed into countless variations.
Shaken, poured, kegged on tap, even snap frozen: there are so many ways to spressy mart in Melbourne right now, and here’s a list of the best and most intriguing ways to get your cocktail buzz.
Society
80 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD
Points for presentation, originality, science, everything really! Society’s Espresso Cloud cuts no corners. They use a rotovap to make a coffee distillate and macadamia distillate, fat wash them with hazelnut oil and batch with crème de cacao blanc, vanilla vodka and a touch of rum. Poured cold from the freezer, instead of a frothy crema it’s presented topped with a coffee flavoured cloud held in a bubble. You are instructed to burst the bubble with a kiss and release the vapour, then take a sip. Divine.
Inuman
167 Exhibition Street , Melbourne CBD
Chances are you’ve never had an espresso martini like this before. It’s not on the menu at Inuman, but it’s always on the cards as a house specialty. “A little Filipino twist on an spressy tini using ‘Latik’, an ingredient traditionally used in Philippine dessert,” says beverage director Ralph Libo-on.
Coconut cream is reduced to dark curds, frying in its own coconut oil, then cooled and whisked together with dark rum. It’s infused, strained, then shaken up with espresso and sugar syrup. This might just be your new favourite…
Eau-de-Vie
1 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne CBD
Not content with a regular espresso martini, Eau-de-Vie goes utterly extra with the Espresso Zabaione. Choose vodka, rum or tequila as your base, shaken with cold drip coffee and maple syrup for a delicate sweetness.
Vanilla and saffron mousse is piped on top in a mountainous swirl. Then, the Eau De Vie theatrics you love: the cream is snap-frozen in a cloud of liquid nitrogen. Crack through the top to reach the decadent drink below. Now that’s real ice magic.
Black Pearl
304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Your late-night go-to for world class cocktails has just the midnight pick-me-up you need. As well as an ever-changing list of house specialties and an encyclopedic knowledge of classics you can request, Black Pearl have a humble mastery of this drink.
It looks like your usual espresso martini, but this little number also has a bump of Averna amaro and a house vanilla syrup alongside the vodka, coffee and Mr Black liqueur - just shaking things up a bit.
The Elysian Whisky Bar
113 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
You might be surprised, but the espresso martini is a sneaky hero of this cosy Fitzroy whisky bar. The Elysian version has a nostalgic Malay twist with the Milo maltiness giving a depth that’s memorable and frankly irresistible combined with the blended whisky. Feel like a kid again, only much, much boozier.
Black Kite Commune
30 Russell Place, Melbourne CBD
Sip an all-Australian riff, featuring Milton Spanish-inspired dark rum, White Possum coffee liqueur, cold brew coffee, brown sugar and orange bitters at Black Kite Commune. Venue Manager Jess Clayfield says it’s an espresso martini “turned up to 100”, the nutty wattleseed notes of the White Possum mingling beautifully with the coffee (a killer flavour combo, if you haven’t tried it yet).
“We use a heavier roast on the seed to really pull a bit more coffee flavour through,” she says. “The rum gives great depth and drives a good booze-forward tone.”
Bar Spontana
4 Saxon Street, Brunswick
It's not the espresso martini at Bar Spontana, but the Sprotini: “smoky, umami and coffee-forward”, with the vibes of an Indonesian Kopiko candy. The coffee base changes based on whatever local Disciple Roasters is currently spotlighting, focusing on naturally fermented beans for a complex, rich flavour.
It means no two Sprotini batches are exactly the same. It’s clarified with milk and fermented apricot for a rich and silky sip, finished with a dusting of ground coffee.
The Evelyn Hotel
351 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Brunswick Street’s favourite local The Evelyn, serving the community since 1968 (but not the espresso martini for that long). Known for the acts it draws to the iconic bandroom as much as for its bar and bottle shop, The Evelyn also makes the list for a reliable Happy Hour espresso martini special. Only $10 from 2pm-7pm, every single day of the week. Tapped for speed, batched for your pleasure. All in all, that’s hard to beat.
Antique Bar
218 Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick
One of the finest cocktail bars of the southern burbs, it’s no surprise Antique Bar has tweaked this modern classic to make it their own. Smooth Arktika vanilla vodka for softness, Tia Maria for a not-too-sweet depth and balancing bitterness, then Little Drippa cold brew rounds it out for a silky, moreish sip. “The result is consistently smooth, flavour-forward and reliable,” they say. “And $21, it’s great value, which definitely helps make it so popular.”
Marquis of Lorne
411 George Street, Fitzroy
The key to a solid, everyday espresso martini, according to bar manager Tyler Dent at Marquis of Lorne? Don’t complicate it: Kahlua works for a reason. 9 times out of 10, you just want a balanced spressy mart that goes down easy and hits the spot. This is the finest iteration of the pub espresso martini. Nostalgic, but fresh.
Santana
Level 3/169 Melbourne Place, Melbourne CBD
It’s worth seeking out Melbourne’s most stylish hidden rooftop bar (complete with city views and cigar humidor) for Santana’s riff on the Irish Coffee, a sibling to the spressy mart. Just head up the stairs on Bourke Street past Nana Thai, through the sage green lounge bar Bouvardia (another gem), up to the roof.
The Santana Espresso is a rich harmony of coffee liqueur and dark rum, topped with a fluffy nutmeg cream. Will it pair with cigars? Only one way to know for sure.
Franklin’s Bar
646 High Street, Thornbury
They promise “friendly neighbourhood cocktails” and they sure deliver. As one of their house classics, Franklin's keep the espresso martini simple: Three Foxes vodka, Unico Caffé coffee liqueur, homemade 24-hour cold drip coffee and a touch of Demerara sugar syrup. The hypnotic swirl of cinnamon sugar is not just a feast for the eyes, but gives it an extra spiced warmth. “Made to be drunk quickly,” they say—and they’re not wrong.
Goodwater
300 High Street, Northcote
Beyond Goodwater’s excellent selection of American whiskies is a cracking cocktail list featuring a one-of-a-kind espresso martini. The Kentucky Nitro Martini has been on since day one: Gospel Solera Rye, cold brew coffee, cherry cola and “secret spices”. It’s nitro-charged and poured from the tap (think, Guinness-style), into a little beer glass. Easy to pour, easy to drink, too. This one’s a tribute to the Tennessee Nitro from London’s White Lyan cocktail bar (RIP), a cross between a Jack-and-coke and an espresso martini.
Main Image Credit: Espresso Martini | iStock