Vanilla Ice Cream Espresso Martini

von Kimberly | Juli 22, 2026 | BEVERAGES, CREAMY, UP TO 30 MINUTES, VEGETARIAN

Vanilla Ice Cream Espresso Martini

July 20, 20246 by Kimberly

This Vanilla Ice Cream Espresso Martini is both a cocktail and a dessert: bold espresso, coffee liqueur, and tequila meet a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream that slowly melts into the drink. It makes the Espresso Martini smooth, cold, and almost like an affogato served in a cocktail glass. Perfect as an after-dinner dessert drink or as a special ending to an evening when coffee alone simply will not do.

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TOTAL TIME

10 min

SERVES

2 cocktails

DIET

vegetarian

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

Sometimes, Classic Vanilla Ice Cream simply ends up in an Espresso Martini. This version is made for those evenings when you do not want to choose between a cocktail, coffee, and dessert.

To me, an Espresso Martini is one of those drinks that gets to be a little bit of everything at once. It is cold, bold, slightly sweet, and usually arrives at exactly the point when the evening has already been very good, but does not quite feel over yet.

For my version, I used tequila instead of vodka. It is joined by Kahlúa, a little sugar syrup if needed, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, ice cubes, and a fresh shot of espresso. The drink stays strong and slightly bitter, while the coffee liqueur adds just enough sweetness.

And then comes the part that turns the cocktail into a proper dessert: an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream placed directly into the martini glass.

The ice cream slowly melts into the Espresso Martini and changes it a little with every sip. At first, the coffee and tequila are still quite pronounced, but later the drink becomes softer, creamier, and almost reminiscent of an ice-cold affogato with coffee liqueur. That is why I skipped the classic coffee bean garnish altogether. The scoop of vanilla ice cream is already the main event.

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Vanilla Ice Cream Espresso Martini

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Author: Kimberly
Total Time: 10 min
Yield: 2 1x

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Description

This Vanilla Ice Cream Espresso Martini is both a cocktail and a dessert: bold espresso, coffee liqueur, and tequila meet a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream that slowly melts into the drink. It makes the Espresso Martini smooth, cold, and almost like an affogato served in a cocktail glass. Perfect as an after-dinner dessert drink or as a special ending to an evening when coffee alone simply will not do.

GOOD TO HAVE ON HAND

cocktail shaker
cocktail measuring cup
martini glass

Ingredients

Units Scale

ICED ESPRESSO MARTINI

2 scoops of classic vanilla ice cream
40 milliliters tequila blanco
20 milliliters coffee liquor
2 shots of espresso
4 tbsp crushed ice cubes

ASSEMBLY

2 scoops of classic vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Pull a shot of espresso and allow it to cool slightly.
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream in each martini glass and pour the cocktail over it.

Prep Time: 10 min

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MORE PIECES OF HAPPINESS

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

von Kimberly | Juli 19, 2026 | CREAMY, CRISPY & CRUNCHY, DESSERT & SWEETS, ICE CREAM, MILK & CREAM, UP TO 30 MINUTES, VEGETARIAN

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

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July 19, 2026 by Kimberly

Imagine tapping your spoon through a thin, crisp caramel shell to find ice-cold, creamy salted caramel ice cream underneath. That is exactly what this crème brûlée ice cream is: warm and caramelized on top, soft, cold, and slightly salty underneath. Every spoonful brings together shards of caramel and melting ice cream – and that contrast is exactly what makes this dessert so good.

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TOTAL TIME

10 min

SERVES

2 ramekins

DIET

vegetarian

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

You probably know by now that I like things to be a little special. Not necessarily complicated, but whenever a small idea can turn a good dessert into something even better, I have to try it. That is exactly how this Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée Ice Cream came to be.

It started with my Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which is already perfectly good on its own. But then I started thinking about crème brûlée – more specifically, that moment when the spoon breaks through the thin, firm sugar crust. Probably one of the best sounds a dessert can make. Naturally, the question followed: why shouldn’t that work on ice cream too? It does. Surprisingly well, in fact.

Underneath the caramel layer, the ice cream stays cold and creamy. With the first spoonful, the crust breaks into small pieces that mix with the soft salted caramel ice cream. Sweet caramel, a little salt, and that contrast between crisp and creamy.

For the crust, I did not simply use regular sugar this time. I first melted it into a dark caramel, let it cool and harden completely, and then ground it into a fine powder. This allows the caramel powder to melt especially quickly under the blowtorch while adding even more depth and toasted flavour. It does not just taste like caramelized sugar, but intensely of caramel, which is of course perfect with the ice cream.

You can still skip that extra step and use regular sugar instead. The dessert works very well that way too. The caramel version is more for those days when you feel like a small kitchen experiment and a little extra effort suddenly seems entirely reasonable.