Waffle House Espresso Martini Recipe
Waffle House Espresso Martini Ingredients
1.5 oz / 45 ml Old Grand-Dad 114 Bourbon
4 oz / 120 ml Waffle House Classic Blend with Sweet Cream cold brew
2-3 dashes Frederik's by Meijer Bitters, Cherry Maple Smoked
Waffle wedge and bacon, for garnish
How to make a Waffle House Espresso Martini
Add the bourbon, cold brew, and two dashes of Frederik's by Meijer Bitters, Cherry Maple Smoked to a shaker with ice and shake hard for about 15 seconds. The sweet cream in the can whips into a thick foam, so give it a real shake.
Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a waffle wedge and a strip of bacon on a cocktail pick.
Waffle House sells a canned cold brew now, a classic blend with sweet cream, and you can only buy it inside a Waffle House. So we drove to Waffle House, picked up a can, a waffle, and a side of bacon, and turned the whole order into a cocktail.
Is it technically an espresso martini? No. There is no espresso in it, and honestly there is no vodka either. You are welcome to walk into a Waffle House and explain that distinction to someone and see what happens.
The sweet cream in the can does a lot of the work here. It is already sweetened, so the drink needs no syrup, and it shakes into a foam that black cold brew could never manage. We swapped the usual vodka for Old Grand-Dad 114 because bourbon and coffee are natural partners, and its caramel and baking spice notes read like maple syrup next to the waffle garnish.
Shout out to Eric at the Lovell Road Waffle House in Knoxville for the little yellow pie pick holding the garnish together. If you want another drink built on Old Grand-Dad 114, try our root beer old fashioned next.
