Pistachio Martinis Might Be 2023’s Breakout Cocktail—Learn How to Make One
When you’re ready for a break from your usual espresso martini…
CJ Younger
Ever since Ina Garten’s supersized cosmo made its glorious debut on Instagram in April 2020, the drink du jour has been changing about as rapidly as the latest TikTok food trend. Just like butter boards leapt to butter candles, espresso martinis are so 2022, according to online searches. We’re predicting the drink of 2023—or at least the first portion of it—will be the pistachio martini.
Read on to learn more about where pistachio martini recipes are popping up, the different varieties of pistachio martinis that are on restaurant menus, plus how to recreate the sweet, creamy cocktail at home.
What Is a Pistachio Martini—and Why Is It Trending?
Just like baked feta pasta, hot cocoa bombs, pasta chips, and baked oats all made waves thanks to TikTok, the same holds true for pistachio martinis. Although they had been bopping around on restaurant menus across Boston, Staten Island, New Jersey, Florida, and beyond long before TikTok-ers captured them via video, they really picked up in popularity when social media influencers started sharing their drink orders far and wide.
“Espresso martinis…a thing of the past,” @emma_cronin says in her TikTok video, one of many tagged #pistachiomartini that have garnered more than 78,000 views to date. “Dirty Shirleys? Over my dead body. Fools are sleeping on pistachio martinis.”
Available IRL at Italian-American restaurants in Boston and spanning the East Coast (including Caffè Paradiso, Trattoria Il Panino, Prezza, AquaPazza, 790 Restaurant, and Saly G’s), pistachio martinis are stepping into the spotlight at just the right time. Espresso martinis paved the way, Starbucks just debuted a pistachio latte, and with the popularity of White Lotus and spring break approaching, we’re all craving a trip to Sicily.
Sicily, by the way, is where you’ll find trees that grow “green gold,” aka pistachios, that are grown on some treacherous terrain. Clinging to the steep slopes of Mount Etna, these pistachio trees are said to produce somewhat of a culinary miracle that some deem the world’s best pistachios.
Slightly nutty, sweet, and sometimes doctored up as a dessert drink with a scoop of ice cream or gelato, we’ve seen two styles of pistachio martini recipes making the rounds. The first scores its pistachio-like flavor from a combo of almond liqueur, orange liqueur, and Irish cream whiskey. It sounds wild but tastes wildly delicious, according to Bostonites who can’t stop raving about it.
Another takes a slightly more traditional path and features vanilla vodka, pistachio syrup, crème de banana (trust the process!), crème de menthe, and half-and-half. Try them both and pick your favorite to make your drink of winter-spring 2023.
Related: Master These Cocktail Essentials to Serve Drinks Like a Mixologist
How to Make a Pistachio Martini
Ahead, we’ll walk you through the two aforementioned pistachio martini recipe variations.
Easy Pistachio Martini
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 ounces almond liqueur (such as amaretto)
2 ounces Irish cream (such as Bailey’s)
Splash of blue curaçao (or other orange liqueur)
Optional: Melted chocolate and crushed pistachios
Directions
To a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds full with ice, add the liqueurs.
Add the cocktail shaker top and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker feels icy.
Optional: Dunk the rim of a cocktail glass into melted chocolate, then crushed pistachios to garnish the glass.
Using a strainer, pour the liquid into a martini glass.
Vodka Pistachio Martini
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces vanilla vodka
½ ounce pistachio syrup
¼ ounce crème de banana
½ teaspoon crème de menthe
2 ounces half-and-half
Optional: Crushed pistachios
Directions
To a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds full with ice, add all of the ingredients.
Add the cocktail shaker top and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker feels icy.
Using a strainer, pour the liquid into a martini glass.
If desired, top the pistachio martini with a pinch of crushed pistachios.
Enjoy as-is, or take things over the top by adding a scoop of pistachio gelato or ice cream to transform your beverage into a pistachio martini float.
Related: 17 Classic Cocktails Every Home Bartender Should Know How to Make
Popular Cocktail Recipes to Add to Your Happy Hour Menu—and Those We Hope Become the Next Buzzy Beverage
After sampling both pistachio martini recipes, we hope that you might have a new go-to home mixology trick or cocktail lounge order! If not, or if you prefer a taste of nostalgia, try these recent trending tipples:
So what’s next after this popular martini recipe has had its time to shine? We’d love to submit these unique and totally TikTok-worthy cocktails:
