Welcome Fall with the Pumpkin Espresso Martini (5 Variations)
Pumpkin spice espresso martini
Pumpkin spice latte has met its match. Or perhaps it has made a match? The espresso martini was already a top seller at Little Water Distillery in New Jersey’s Atlantic City, but when owner Mark Ganter added the pumpkin espresso martini to the menu for the first time, it immediately outsold the regular espresso martini. Ganter says customers are willing to “travel and spend more for the opportunity to enjoy a great pumpkin espresso martini” than for most cocktails. As a result, the pumpkin espresso martini is a seasonal mainstay at the distillery tasting room, and Ganter anticipates this fall will be a “perfect storm” for the cocktail’s sales. Search data backs up his assertion — this year, the term "pumpkin espresso martini" has breakout trend status according to Google, setting 2026 up to be the year of the pumpkin espresso martini.
Tis the Season
Espresso martini meet pumpkin latte
Like Ganter, Stephanie Castaneda, senior director of beverage at STK Steakhouse in New York City, is gearing up for pumpkin espresso martini season. She calls the combination of the two major trends “almost inevitable,” and says this will be the fourth year the pumpkin espresso martini makes the menu: “In a business where seasonal cocktails constantly change, earning a return year after year says a lot about how guests respond to it.”
Likewise, Zach Schavone, general manager of Wally’s Wieners in Newport, Rhode Island, is also looking at past sales to make future projections: “At our Newport location alone, we ran the pumpkin spice espresso martini as a special for about a month and a half last year and sold around 200,” in 2025. He says that’s a standout number for the business considering its small size and the fact that the restaurant has a whole espresso martini section featuring 13 to 14 different expressions at any given time.
With demand growing annually, “the pumpkin espresso martini continues to resonate because it combines two things people crave in the fall: comfort and sophistication,” explains Aurelio Rojas, bartender at cafe and bar Little Opus at The Muse Hotel in New York City. “Espresso martinis already offer energy, texture, and ritual, while pumpkin introduces warm baking spices that evoke nostalgia without sacrificing elegance.” The key to the perfect pumpkin espresso martini, he says, is restraint. “A great pumpkin espresso martini should taste like exceptional coffee first with pumpkin acting as a subtle seasonal accent rather than a sugary flavor.” He likes to add a few dashes of black walnut bitters to deepen the dark coffee notes and add “a subtle earthy richness that naturally complements pumpkin without overwhelming the drink.”
On Trend
Pumpkin spice
According to NielsonIQ, pumpkin spice is a $1.1 billion autumnal economy. Likewise, espresso martinis recently doubled in sales year over year. Still, some people love to hate both pumpkin spice and espresso martinis. “Folks love to dunk on it and call it ‘basic.’ Somewhere along the way, we decided that if enough people like something, it somehow stops being cool,” says Jacob Tschetter, beverage manager of Charlie’s Place in Waldwick, New Jersey. He’s never bought into the naysaying, however, and encourages folks to “enjoy what you like and ignore the haters.” His personal pet peeve when it comes to pumpkin espresso martinis? Making them with freshly pulled espresso, which “takes forever and makes a mess.” Instead, he’s team cold brew for a drink that’s “fast, efficient, and damn tasty!”
A Cocktail to Make at Home
Ganter also aims to combine taste and efficiency, especially for customers who want to make pumpkin espresso martinis at home. To meet their demand, Little Water sells bottles of 48 Blocks Espresso Martini, a ready-to-drink cocktail made with Little Water’s 48 Blocks Vodka, a Brazilian espresso from La Colombe Coffee Roasters, raw cane sugar simple syrup, and the distillery’s proprietary coffee liquor created from its Liberty Silver Rum. With the simple addition of a teaspoon of pumpkin butter per 4 ounces of liquid, Ganter says there’s no easier way to batch pumpkin espresso martinis at home.
Pumpkin Espresso Martini Recipes
Pumpkin or Pumpkin Spice?
Since pumpkin itself has such subtle sweetness and vegetal flavor, the warm spices associated with the gourd’s seasonal preparation often become its flavor shorthand in cocktails. Pumpkin espresso martinis feature pumpkin spice (or similar, like allspice dram), while only some also include pumpkin. Here are five variations on this season’s popular cocktail:
Little Water Distillery 48 Blocks Pumpkin Espresso Martini
Little Water Distillery 48 Blocks Pumpkin Espresso Martini
4 ounces Little Water Distillery’s 48 Blocks Espresso Martini
1 teaspoon pumpkin butter, such as Green Jay Gourmet Pumpkin Butter
Cinnamon stick or powder for garnish
Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder.
STK Steakhouse Pumpkin Espresso Martini (at-home version)
STK Steakhouse Pumpkin Espresso Martini photo credit One Group
1.5 ounces vodka
1 ounce freshly brewed espresso
1 ounce pumpkin spice creamer
0.25 - 0.5 ounce simple syrup or maple syrup, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Wally’s Wieners Pumpkin Espresso Martini
Pumpkin Espresso Martini at Wally’s courtesy of Heritage Restaurant Group
1.5 ounces vanilla vodka
1 ounce coffee liqueur
0.5 ounce Irish cream
1.5 ounce housemade pumpkin syrup, see recipe below
2 ounce fresh espresso
Three espresso beans and a dash of pumpkin pie spice for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with three espresso beans and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.
Wally’s Wieners Housemade Pumpkin Syrup
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
⅔ cup pumpkin puree
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
Combine sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat. Once the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and add the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Let simmer for 5 minutes then cool before using.
Little Opus Pumpkin and Black Walnut Espresso Martini
Little Opus Pumpkin and Black Walnut Espresso Martini
1.5 ounces vodka
1 ounce fresh espresso
0.5 ounce real pumpkin spice syrup
0.25 ounce vanilla syrup
2 dashes black walnut bitters
Tiny pinch of sea salt
Three espresso beans and freshly grated cinnamon or nutmeg for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake vigorously until well chilled and frothy. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with three espresso beans and a light dusting of freshly grated cinnamon or nutmeg.
Charlie’s Place Pumpkin Espresso Martini
2 ounces Broken Shed Vodka
1 ounce cold brew
0.5 ounce Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur
0.25 ounce dark maple syrup
0.25 ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
2 dashes chocolate mole bitters
Tiny pinch Maldon salt
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake vigorously until well chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled coupe.