Cold-brew coffee gets a boozy kick to make one caffeinated cocktail! Perfect for your St. Patrick's Day celebration, brunch or after-dinner drink menu, this creamy Baileys Irish coffee martini takes a classic hot cocktail and gives it a refreshing spin. Serve in a chilled glass for the ultimate coffee cooler.
Jump to:
Booze and coffee. Coffee and booze. You know you’re an official adult when the two come together to make your miracle drink, so you will definitely be everyone’s hero when you bring out this versatile cocktail at your next gathering.
Besides the unending comments of adoration you'll receive for serving everyone's new favorite perky cocktail, this martini couldn't be easier to make. Hosting is hard work, so I always appreciate a simple yet crowd-pleasing cocktail I can whip up in no time. Who's with me?
*All hands go up*
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Bonus: If you love this drink, make sure you also put my Baileys chocolate martini on the menu!
Ingredients
Before we start shaking, let's gather our ingredients. Here's everything we need to sip on this delightful caffeinated martini.
- Cold-brew coffee
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Irish whiskey
- Simple syrup
- Ice
- Espresso powder for garnish
- Sugar for garnish
For the Irish whiskey, Jameson is a good bet. Just about any liquor store carries it, and with its triple distilling, that whiskey goes down oh-so smoothly.
You'll also notice I specific cold-brew coffee over hot coffee. We're talking about a martini here, so we want a frigid drink. While you could let your hot coffee cool, who has time for that? Cold-brew coffee is the easy answer here.
How to Chill a Martini Glass
Speaking of cold drinks, I love chilling the martini glass before serving. We can accomplish this a couple different ways.
One is to simply place the glass in the freezer. At least 30 minutes is good if you want a frost, but even five minutes goes a long way in adding a chill.
Another option is to fill the glass with ice and cold water and let it sit while you make the rest of the drink. When the drink is ready, dump the ice and water, and you're ready to serve.
Step-by-Step Instructions
With our ingredients in order and glass chilled, we're ready to start making this easy coffee martini. We grab our cocktail shaker and add our cold-brew coffee, Baileys Irish Cream, Irish whiskey, simple syrup and a handful of ice.
For extreme coffee lovers, I like to rim the martini glass with a mixture of espresso powder and sugar. This gives our martini an extra caffeinated jolt. To make our rim, we simply spread water or simple syrup for more staying powder onto a plate and place the martini upside-down on the plate to moisten the rim.
On another plate, we stir together our espresso powder and sugar and swirl the moisten rim into the mixture. And just like that, we have our espresso-sugar rim.
Now we pour our cold Baileys Irish coffee martini into our glasses, clink and sip away.
Related: For more caffeinated cocktails, you'll also love my mocha martini and pumpkin espresso martini.
Perfect Pairing
What are you even doing with your life if you don't pair this coffee martini with my fudgy stout brownies? Top with my bourbon caramel sauce and you're in for a treat. Oh, and if you're a big cookie fan, you'll also love this coffee cocktail with my absolute best fudgy brownie cookies.
Of course, I also love this caffeinated cocktail with brunch. If that's you, you'll love this boozy coffee drink with my pumpkin crullers with a caramelized maple glaze.
Whether you need a St. Patrick's Day drink, brunch cocktail or after-dinner sipper, I hope you try this Baileys Irish coffee martini. This drink is perfect for all three occasions, and everyone is sure to love it.
Cheers!
Looking for More St. Patrick's Day Recipes?
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment with a five-star rating — or simply hit the five-star button in the recipe card. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, and you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.
📖 Recipe
Baileys Irish Coffee Martini
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Jigger or small measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder for rimmed glass, optional
- 1 tablespoon sugar for rimmed glass, optional
- 4 ounces cold-brew coffee
- 1 ½ ounces Irish whiskey
- 1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream
- ½ ounce simple syrup homemade or store-bought (see note)
- Ice
Instructions
- If rimming the glass, mix together the espresso powder and sugar on a small plate. Spoon some water or simple syrup onto another small plate. The simple syrup gives it a bit more staying power, but water also works. Swirl the rim of the glass in the water or simple syrup to moisten. Then, swirl in the espresso powder-sugar mixture. Set aside.
- In a cocktail shaker, add the cold-brew coffee, Irish whiskey, Baileys Irish Cream, simple syrup and ice. Pop on the top and shake vigorously for about 15 to 30 seconds.
- Strain into martini glasses. Enjoy!
Notes
- If desired, chill the martini glasses in the freezer before serving for an extra refreshing cocktail. Alternatively, you can fill the glass with ice and water while mixing the drink and then dump it before pouring the martini into the glass.
- If making your own simple syrup, bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a high simmer on the stove in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture simmers and the sugar dissolves, remove from heat. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This can be done well in advance and will keep for several weeks.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Anna says
And all of the sudden, I'm feeling really thirsty! This looks so good, I would definitely need more than one!
Leslie says
Cold-brew coffee all the way! This drink is pure perfection in my opinion! Thanks for sharing!!!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're are so welcome!
Sharon says
Bailey's is a staple for the St. Patricks Day holiday. The martini twist is a great way to mix it up using it.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Totally agree! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Jacqui DeBono says
Is it weird that I don't like coffee, but I like coffee in things?! I love it with desserts and coffee flavoured things! We have a cocktail club in our tiny town, I will be taking this recipe along to the next meeting!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Not weird at all! Hope everyone loves it!
Pam Greer says
Girl you are speaking my language here!! Going on tonight's Friday night cocktail menu!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'll cheers to that!
Denise says
Coffee and booze are wonderful on their own, but you have brought them together in an AMAZING martini! This is going to be a regular with my friends for sure!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Yay! Sounds like a fun way to enjoy each other's company. ?
Analida Braeger says
I had all the ingredients need to make this in my liquor cabinet and it was incredible! Thanks so much! Sláinte!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
So glad to hear that, Analida!
Paula Montenegro says
OMG, this will be my staple for the next months! Love coffee and baileys but this recipe takes that combination to the top! Thanks for sharing.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're so welcome! Cheers!
Sean@Diversivore says
Great recipe - hooray for coffee and booze! Love the rim that you've put on this drink too. It's beautifully decorative, and it really contributes to the flavour profile of the cocktail. I appreciate the tip about chilling the glasses too - I don't make a lot of martinis so I haven't thought much about the idea, but it seems so obvious now I can't believe I'd never thought to try it. Cheers!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
They're the best! Thank you so much. ?
Kelly Anthony says
This baileys Irish coffee martini will be perfect for serving at our next dinner party. I love your garnish of espresso powder and sugar taking this cocktail to the next level.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks, Kelly! I just love a fun rim on a martini. ?