Make Perfect Espresso Martinis With My Creme de Cacao Recipe
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Are you partial to Espresso Martinis? If you, like me, have been making them at home since Lockdown, you may have seen Creme de Cacao as an ingredient. I’m sure you can buy it. But what if I told you it’s easy to make this rich, chocolately and delicious liqueur at home? My homemade Creme de Cacao recipe is the key ingredient in an Espresso Martini that gives it that lovely bittersweet depth. So if you want to level up your Espresso Martinis at home, read on for my homemade Creme de Cacao recipe.
Ingredients for Homemade Creme de Cacao
- 50g cacao nibs (I ordered them from Ethical Superstore here)
- 200ml vodka (own brand is fine)
- 150g sugar (I used brown sugar to give my Creme de Cacao a caramel flavour but any sugar will work)
- 140ml water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Homemade Creme de Cacao Equipment
- jar with a lid (I used a clean yoghurt jar)
- saucepan and spoon
- bowl, preferably with a pouring spout
- seive
- fine mesh muslin cloth or nut milk bag
- storage bottle (mine is a tonic water bottle)
How to Make Homemade Creme de Cacao
First you need to add the cacao nibs to a jar and then pour the vodka over the top and give it a good shake. Leave the jar in a cupboard for 10 days to steep, giving it a shake every now and then.
On the 10th day, your vodka should have taken on a lovely chocolately flavour, but it will be pretty bitter. So add the sugar to the water in a saucepan and bring it to the boil.
Let the sugar syrup cool and add the vanilla extract. Pour it into the jar with the vodka and cacao nibs, give it a good shake, and leave for another day.
Put a sieve over a bowl, and then line it with your muslin cloth. Pour the Creme de Cacao mix through the cloth into the bowl below, and then pour the liquid into a clean bottle, I found a funnel really helped.
Label up your bottle and you’re ready to use your Creme de Cacao straight away. It will keep for a couple of months and I recommend keeping it in the fridge so it’s nice and cold when you need it.
Keep the cacao nibs as you can still add them to cookies or muffins.
How To Make the Perfect Espresso Martini
You only need a little bit of Creme de Cacao in an Espresso Martini, so this recipe makes enough for loads. I like to use decaffeinated coffee in our Espresso Martinis, so they don’t keep us up at night. But if you’re more of a party animal you can use the normal coffee. Be sure to make your coffee in plenty of time so it can cool down. The last thing you want is a lukewarm Espresso Martini!
To make two Espresso Martinis, you’ll need:
- 100ml vodka
- 100ml espresso
- 50ml Tia Maria
- 2 tsp Creme de Cacao
- 2 coffee beans to garnish (optional)
Shake all the ingredients together with some ice and strain into a pair of martini glasses. Enjoy!
If you like this recipe, you’ll like my easy homemade Elderflower Cordial recipe. It goes perfectly with a G and T.
Why not Pin my Creme de Cacao recipe for later?
