The best Espresso Martini doesn’t have to be made by a mustachioed mixologist. It’s possible to reach into your fridge and simply crack open a canned Espresso Martini that’s just as good as anything you can get at a bar. We tasted 13 different canned Espresso Martinis (including the Cutwater Espresso Martini) and two brands that make their Espresso Martini in a bottle (including the On the Rocks Espresso Martini) to find the best premade Espresso Martini out there.
Over the past few years, the Espresso Martini has made a major comeback. Originally popularized by models in London back in the 1980s, it’s now once again a staple on cocktail menus. But even more tellingly of its popularity, there are also lots and lots of canned Espresso Martinis on the market. It’s just as easy to find an Espresso Martini as it is to find a canned Margarita. These things are everywhere. But are they all good? They are not.
Related: 13 Best Canned Cocktails We’ve Tasted
But some of them are quite good. If you’re looking for a classic Espresso Martini, then the best canned Espresso Martinis have strong coffee flavors and a boozy backbone with a zip of sweetness running through the cocktail. If you prefer a creamy Espresso Martini, then the best one tastes like spiked, melted coffee ice cream. And then, of course, there’s the best canned Espresso Martini mocktail—it shouldn’t just taste like iced coffee. It should taste like booze without a trace of alcohol. Whatever your taste when it comes to Espresso Martinis, we found six bottled and canned Espresso Martinis that are worthy of your cash.
- Apres Hours Classic Espresso Martini
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At 10% ABV, this is the most sessionable canned Espresso Martini on this list (that’s still alcoholic). It’s made with “agave wine” instead of vodka or other hard alcohol, and it definitely tastes different from most classic Espresso Martinis. It’s a little fruitier—but, like, the fruitiness of a cocoa bean or a rich coffee. It’s not super sweet and has a pleasantly bitter finish. The more I sipped it, the more I liked it. And if you’re not in the mood for a premade Espresso Martini that is closer to wine in ABV than a traditional cocktail, then this the best Espresso Martini in a can for you.
Credit: Merc / Apres Hours
- Caffe Carnivale Nitro M Alcohol Free Espresso Martini
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With this canned Espresso Martini mocktail, Caffe Carnivale managed to create something that didn’t just taste like canned, sweetened cold brew—it’s more than that. Yes, it certainly tastes like espresso. It’s rich with toasty coffee notes. But the nitro makes it special. It adds a creaminess to it as if it was freshly shaken. It doesn’t really taste like vodka—but that’s okay. If you’re not drinking alcohol, I assume you don’t really love the taste of vodka anyway. It’s a nice upgrade from a standard canned coffee drink and a cute gesture to offer someone who abstains from alcohol.
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- Tribini Golden Espresso
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Traditionally, an Espresso Martini is made with vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, and simple syrup. There’s no cream in sight. But since its inception, there have been many different iterations of Espresso Martini, including the creamy, more dessert-y Espresso Martini. And if that’s your type of Espresso Martini, then pick up this canned Espresso Martini. It is a very, very creamy Espresso Martini. It tastes like a good canned latte—just with a bite of alcohol on the finish.
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- Ketel One Espresso Martini
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This premade Espresso Martini in a bottle from popular vodka brand, Ketel One, is very, very sweet upon first sip but then the bitter espresso comes in to balance it all out. And then there’s the vodka. Since it’s made by a vodka company, it only makes sense that they would want you to taste their flagship product in this cocktail. And you do. It really tastes like Ketel One vodka. This is a Martini-lover’s Espresso Martini. Bring this Espresso Martini in a bottle over to a dinner party and blow everyone who just brought wine right out of the water.
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- Cutwater High Proof Espresso Vodka Martini
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Cutwater’s boozier version of an Espresso Martini (it’s 20% ABV compared to the 13% ABV of their standard Espresso Martini can) is an excellent rendition of a classic Espresso Martini. If you ask a solid bartender to make you an Espresso Martini at a good, neighborhood bar, they’ll make you something like this. It’s distinctly not spiked coffee (which is what the normal proof Cutwater Espresso Martini tastes like). It’s an Espresso Martini—emphasis on the Martini. But it is a little bit creamy, too. It’s rich, roasty, and dark with a pleasant tingle from the booze. It can be hard to find, but it’s one of the best canned Espresso Martinis we tasted, so grab a can if you see one.
Read the full ranking of the best Cutwater canned cocktails
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- Golden Rule Tini’s Midnight Lounge Espresso Martini
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The best Espresso Martini in a can is also the booziest. Coming in at 48 proof (24% ABV), this teeny, tiny canned Espresso Martini is so incredibly good. It truly tastes like something you order at a fancy craft bar. You would pay $18 for something like this at a big city cocktail bar. But you can have it in your house for much less. It tastes like freshly brewed espresso with just a touch of sweetness and—this is what really puts it over the edge—orange zest. It tastes like someone expressed a swath of orange zest over an Espresso Martini. Delicious. My only complaint is that the cans really are so small—but since it’s quite strong, I understand that it’s for my own good.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Lower ABV
Best Non Alcoholic
Best Creamy
Best Bottled
Best Classic
Best of the Best
Other canned Espresso Martinis we tried: Tribini Double Espresso Espresso Martini, Tribini Toasted Hazelnut Espresso Martini, Cutwater Espresso Martini Espresso Martini, On the Rocks Espresso Martini, Apres Hours Vanilla Espresso Martini, Apres Hours Caramel Espresso Martini, Tribini Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini, Deloce Espresso Martini, Buzzballz Espresso Martini
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