A peppermint martini with chocolate and coffee from Krampus Coffee Liqueur. Creamy, minty and finished with a crushed candy cane rim.
The peppermint martini is the dessert cocktail of December: creamy, cold and minty, usually served with a crushed candy cane rim. The classic version uses vodka, peppermint schnapps, white crème de cacao and cream.
This version swaps the crème de cacao for Krampus Coffee Liqueur, which turns it into a peppermint mocha martini, the drink version of the holiday coffee-shop favorite.
Ingredients
- 1½ oz vodka
- 1 oz Krampus Coffee Liqueur
- ½ oz peppermint schnapps
- 1 oz half-and-half
- Crushed candy cane and chocolate syrup for the rim
Directions
- Dip the rim of a chilled martini glass in chocolate syrup, then in crushed candy cane.
- Shake the vodka, coffee liqueur, schnapps and half-and-half hard with ice.
- Double-strain into the glass.
Glass: Martini glass · Garnish: Candy cane rim, mini candy cane
Tip
Peppermint schnapps is strong. Start with ½ oz and add more only after tasting, or the mint will bury the coffee.
Variations
For a white Christmas martini, use white crème de cacao in place of the schnapps and add 2 drops of peppermint extract. For a dairy-free version, use oat milk.
A Brief History of the Peppermint Martini
The peppermint martini is a child of the flavored-martini boom of the 1990s and 2000s, when bars put "-tini" on anything served in a V-shaped glass. It borrowed its flavor from the candy cane, which had become an American Christmas fixture by the early 1900s.
The chocolate version, often called a peppermint mocha martini, followed the coffee-shop peppermint mocha into the holiday season and has been a December favorite ever since.
Why Make It With Krampus
Crème de cacao adds sweetness and a faint chocolate note, and that is about all. Krampus Coffee Liqueur is made with cold brew from Tony's Coffee, roasting in Bellingham since 1971, plus real Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. The coffee gives the peppermint something to play against, the vanilla rounds out the cream, and the drink tastes like a peppermint mocha instead of a melted candy cane.
FAQ
What is in a peppermint martini?
Vodka, peppermint schnapps, a chocolate or coffee liqueur and cream or half-and-half, shaken with ice and served in a candy cane-rimmed glass.
Can I make a peppermint martini without schnapps?
Yes. Use 2 drops of peppermint extract in place of the schnapps and add ½ oz more vodka. Extract is strong, so add it a drop at a time.
How do I get crushed candy cane to stick to the rim?
Dip the rim in chocolate syrup, simple syrup or honey first, then press it into finely crushed candy cane. Chill the glass afterward so the rim sets.