The espresso martini is basically theatre in a glass. You’ve got the ritual of the shaker, the satisfying crack of ice, the silky crema floating on top, and that caffeine hit that makes you feel like you’ve got actual plans for the evening. It’s a proper grown-up drink. The problem, if you’re not drinking alcohol, is that most of the mystique comes from vodka and Kahlúa, and you’re left wondering if you can actually recreate that experience without them.
You can. And it’s easier than you’d think.
What Makes an Espresso Martini Work
First, let’s be honest about what you’re actually after. It’s not the vodka doing the heavy lifting here. Vodka’s basically flavourless. What you want is the coffee depth from Kahlúa, the sweetness that balances the bitter espresso, and yes, the theatre of shaking it all up and pouring it into a glass. The caffeine from fresh espresso is doing most of the work anyway.
So you need three things: strong espresso, something coffee-flavoured and sweet to replace the Kahlúa, and something to replace the vodka. That last bit is where AF coffee liqueurs come in.
The Best AF Coffee Liqueur Alternatives
Lyre’s Coffee Liqueur is probably your best bet. It’s actually designed for exactly this kind of thing, and it tastes genuinely like coffee liqueur rather than coffee-flavoured cough syrup. It’s got that syrupy texture, decent depth, and it costs about £18 for a 700ml bottle at Waitrose or Ocado. It won’t taste identical to Kahlúa, but it’s the closest you’ll get.
Seedlip Spice 94 is a bit of a wildcard, but hear me out. It’s herbal and warming rather than coffee-forward, which means it adds complexity without trying to be something it’s not. You’d use less of it and lean harder on the espresso. It’s around £42 a bottle, so it’s pricey, but you’re using small measures anyway. Some people swear by it in their AF espresso martinis because it feels less like a direct copy and more like a proper riff.
Ghia (the Italian aperitivo) also works in a pinch. It’s not coffee-flavoured at all, but it’s got enough bitterness and herbal notes to stand up to espresso. You’d probably add a small splash of sugar syrup to compensate for the missing sweetness. Bottle’s about £20.
Honestly, if you can’t find any of these or you’re skint, strong cold brew concentrate mixed with a tiny bit of maple syrup will do the job. It won’t have the liqueur depth, but it’ll taste better than you’d expect.
The Recipe
Here’s what actually works:
30ml fresh espresso (or 40ml if you’re using cold brew concentrate). 25ml Lyre’s Coffee Liqueur (or 20ml if you’re using Seedlip Spice 94). 15ml fresh lemon juice. 10ml sugar syrup. Shake it all vigorously with ice for about 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
The lemon juice is crucial. It cuts through the sweetness and adds brightness. Most people skip it in the alcoholic version, but without the vodka’s bite, you need that acidity.
If you’re using Ghia, drop the coffee liqueur to 20ml, use 15ml Ghia, and add 15ml sugar syrup instead of 10ml.
The Theatre Part
Don’t skip the ritual. Get a proper cocktail shaker. Use fresh ice. Chill your glass beforehand (stick it in the freezer for five minutes). When you shake it, really shake it. The point isn’t just to mix the ingredients, it’s to aerate them and get that silky texture. The crema on top comes from the espresso being freshly pulled and the vigorous shaking creating tiny bubbles.
That’s half the appeal anyway. You’re not just drinking something, you’re making something. That matters, whether there’s alcohol in it or not.
Compliance note: This article is for informational purposes only. Always check the alcohol content of any product before consuming, as some ‘alcohol-free’ products may contain trace amounts of alcohol.