The Best Espresso Martinis in Montreal

There are cocktails we order because they are sophisticated, cocktails we order because they are refreshing, and then there is the Espresso Martini: the drink we order when we would like to stay out for another three hours despite every signal from our body suggesting otherwise.

Created in London in the 1980s by legendary bartender Dick Bradsell, the combination of vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and sugar has somehow managed to become even more popular four decades later. And while its current ubiquity means there are plenty of mediocre ones being shaken around the city, a great Espresso Martini remains difficult to resist.

The formula sounds simple enough. But getting that perfect balance of bitterness, sweetness and booze, topped with the thick, velvety foam that has become the cocktail's signature, is another story entirely.

Thankfully, Montreal bartenders have been taking the assignment seriously. From textbook classics to versions made with cognac, maple whisky or even cherry-cola syrup, these are some of the best Espresso Martinis in Montreal.

If there is one thing Le Mal Nécessaire has never been particularly interested in, it's making cocktails the obvious way. The downtown bar has become known for playful drinks, tropical ingredients and a frozen cocktail program that includes an Espresso Martini slush. For another take on the classic, look for the Hennessy Espresso Martini, where cognac replaces the neutrality we usually associate with vodka. The richer notes of fruit, vanilla and oak brought by Hennessy give the coffee cocktail considerably more depth while keeping the caffeinated decadence that made us order an Espresso Martini in the first place.

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Dinner at Romies already has a tendency to turn into a whole evening, so an Espresso Martini feels particularly appropriate here. The Old Montreal American bistro pairs its steaks, seafood and famously decadent desserts with a cocktail program that doesn't treat drinks like an afterthought. Their Espresso Martini keeps things classic with Belvedere vodka, letting the rich coffee flavours take centre stage while delivering the smooth, velvety texture we're looking for in the drink. Order one after dinner, ideally alongside the Brooklyn blackout chocolate cake if you're prepared to abandon all pretence of moderation.

Some places happen to make a good Espresso Martini. Ava built an entire portion of its identity around them.

The Pointe-Saint-Charles café transforms into a cocktail bar at night, with no fewer than six Espresso Martinis on the menu. Purists can stick with the Classic, made with vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and sugar, but things get much more interesting from there. The Québécois combines maple whisky, rye and maple syrup, while the Madelena uses seven-year-aged rum and Tia Maria. There's also a tequila-and-Licor 43 Carajillo-inspired version, a floral Rose and, for anyone who firmly believes cocktails can double as dessert, a Dark Chocolate Raspberry. If the purpose of this list is to drink Espresso Martinis, Ava understood the assignment better than most.

Barroco isn't interested in giving us just another Espresso Martini. The Old Montreal institution's Oaxaca Boiler Room takes the cocktail somewhere much more interesting, swapping vodka for Convite Esencial mezcal and combining it with espresso, coffee liqueur, ginger, pineapple and cardamom. The smoke of the mezcal against bitter coffee would already be enough to get our attention, but the tropical fruit and spice push it firmly into its own territory. It's an Espresso Martini for people who have ordered enough Espresso Martinis to be ready for something different.

Sometimes the classic is the point. At Bar Kabinet on Laurier, the Espresso Martini sits comfortably among a list of proper cocktail-bar staples, from the Sazerac to the Paper Plane. Their version keeps things straightforward with vodka, with the option to upgrade to Grey Goose, making this a good address when you're craving the familiar combination rather than someone's latest attempt to reinvent it. Add Kabinet's intimate, slightly moody atmosphere and you've got exactly the kind of place where ordering one at the beginning of the night instead of the end feels entirely reasonable.

Apparently brunch needed Espresso Martinis too, and Buvette Pastek is happy to oblige. The Old Montreal wine bar includes one alongside its mimosas and Bloody Caesars, making a compelling argument for replacing your second coffee with something considerably more festive. Pair it with their pancakes or gravlax bagel if you're there during brunch, or simply use it as an excuse to extend an afternoon in the Old Port. Coffee and vodka before noon? We don't make the rules.

The Palm Court doesn't do the standard version. Instead, the Ritz-Carlton's grand lobby bar serves a Masala Chai Espresso Martini made with Ketel One vodka, Baileys, masala chai syrup and espresso. The addition of chai brings warming spice into the familiar coffee-and-vodka combination, while Baileys pushes everything into unapologetically indulgent territory. At $24, it may also be one of the more luxurious Espresso Martinis on this list, but then again, you're drinking it at the Ritz. Restraint was never really the assignment.

After mezcal, masala chai and every possible reinvention of the Espresso Martini, Osteria MKT brings us back to basics. The downtown Italian restaurant makes theirs with Tito's Handmade Vodka, Tia Maria and espresso, keeping the ingredient list refreshingly short. It's exactly the kind of straightforward after-dinner cocktail that makes sense following a plate of pasta and, importantly, still tastes enough like coffee to justify the name. Not every Espresso Martini needs a plot twist.

Yes, Negroni is literally in the name. We are still telling you to order the Espresso Martini.

Gino's has made a concept out of doing a few things very well: lasagna, cocktails and creating the kind of atmosphere where staying for another drink feels inevitable. The Espresso Martini more than holds its own beside the bar's namesake cocktail, arriving cold, creamy and balanced. It is also exactly the kind of drink you want once the last piece of lasagna has disappeared and you've collectively decided that nobody at the table is ready to go home yet.

Vietnamese coffee already has the intensity and sweetness required to make an excellent after-dinner treat, so turning it into an Espresso Martini feels almost inevitable. At Hang Bar in Old Montreal, the Vietnamese Espresso Martini takes inspiration from the famously rich coffee style, resulting in a bolder, more indulgent take on the classic. It also fits naturally with the restaurant's Vietnamese-inspired cocktail program, where familiar drinks regularly get reworked with flavours and ingredients from the cuisine. If your preferred Espresso Martini sits firmly on the dessert side of the spectrum, this is the one to try.

If your ideal Espresso Martini comes with a side of glamour, Nacarat makes a convincing case.

The cocktail bar inside Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth has long taken its drinks seriously, with the polished technique and presentation you would expect from one of downtown's more sophisticated drinking destinations. Its Espresso Martini has also been given the Nacarat treatment over the years, including a version incorporating mezcal and coffee liqueur for a smokier interpretation of the classic. It's less about grabbing a quick caffeinated cocktail and more about settling into the bar and making the Espresso Martini part of the occasion.

There is something wonderfully old-school about Bar Dominion, which makes its straightforward approach to the Espresso Martini feel exactly right.

The downtown bar combines the grandeur of a classic tavern with a modern cocktail program, and its current Espresso Martini keeps the recipe refreshingly recognizable: Grey Goose vodka, Tia Maria and espresso. That's it. No salted foam, obscure infusion or ingredient requiring a five-minute explanation. Just the bitter intensity of espresso, the sweetness of coffee liqueur and enough vodka to remind you that despite appearances, this is absolutely not an iced coffee.

The Espresso Martini's latest reign may eventually end. Another forgotten cocktail will inevitably be rediscovered, photographed extensively and declared the drink of the summer.

Until then, we're perfectly happy drinking our coffee after dark.

After all, nobody ordering an Espresso Martini at 11 p.m. was planning on going to bed early anyway.