My New Weekend Obsession: The Midnight Martini

 

There’s something magical about lazy weekends. The kind where you don’t set an alarm, the couch becomes your kingdom, and you lose yourself in an Italian series with subtitles flying across the screen. That’s exactly the mood I was in last weekend when I decided it was time to treat myself to something really special.

I’ve loved coffee-based cocktails for years—they’re basically dessert in a glass—but I wanted to try something a little different. Enter: the Midnight Martini. Yes, you make the rich cinnamon syrup yourself, but trust me, it’s stupidly easy and transforms the drink into something dark, cozy, warm, and downright addictive. I made a batch ahead of time (it keeps in the fridge for weeks), and when Saturday rolled around, I shook up a double in my favorite glass. Did I regret going big? Absolutely not. Zero regrets. Just pure, velvety bliss.

The combo is perfection: bold cold espresso, smooth vodka, a touch of coffee liqueur, creamy chocolate liqueur, and that gorgeous cinnamon sweetness tying it all together. It’s rich without being heavy, caffeinated enough to keep the binge going, but boozy enough to feel like a real indulgence—perfect for those late-night, mood-lit moments.

If you’re a coffee lover who also appreciates a good cocktail, this Midnight Martini is going to become your weekend ritual too. Prep the syrup on a quiet evening, stash it in the fridge, and thank me later when you’re sipping one while the plot twists unfold.

 Here’s my simplified take on the recipe—no fuss, no intimidation, just delicious results.

Midnight Martini

First, make the cinnamon syrup

 (enough for about 6 drinks—make it once and enjoy for weeks)

½ c. sugar

¼ c. water

1 cinnamon stick (about 2–3 inches) or ½ t. ground cinnamon

Put everything in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves (takes about 2–3 minutes). Don’t let it boil hard—just gentle heat. Take it off the stove and let it cool completely (20–30 minutes). Fish out the cinnamon stick (or leave ground cinnamon in if you used that). Pour into a small jar and refrigerate. Done!

For each cocktail (make a double like I did!)

2 oz. cold espresso or strong cold brew

2 oz. vodka

1 oz. Kahlúa

1 oz. Mozart liqueur

1 oz. cinnamon syrup

Plenty of ice

Pop your martini or coupe glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to get it nice and cold.

Add all the liquids (espresso, vodka, liqueurs, syrup) to a cocktail shaker.

 Fill the shaker halfway with ice.

 Shake hard for 15–20 seconds until the shaker feels freezing cold and frosty on the outside.

 Strain into your chilled glass (hold back the ice).

 Garnish if you’re feeling fancy: 3 coffee beans on top, a dusting of cinnamon or grated chocolate, or even a half-moon of chocolate shavings.

Sip slowly… or not so slowly. Either way, enjoy every velvety, cinnamon-kissed sip.

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Starbuck’s Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte Copycat

 

There’s an old movie from 1966 starring Cary Grant, Jim Hutton, and Samantha Eggar, called “Walk, Don’t Run.”  It takes place during the summer Olympic Games in 1964 and focuses on the housing shortage. Two men, Grant and Hutton, are forced to share a small apartment in Tokyo with the innocent and lovely Eggar. In one scene that I remember to this day, Cary Grant is making coffee, because it became obvious to him early on that neither Hutton nor Eggar could do it well enough to suit him. This was in the days of percolators (remember those?), Grant opens up a can of coffee grounds, pours it into the basket of the percolator filling it up, and levels it off with his index finger. Later, when he drinks this hearty brew he says, “That’s what I call coffee.” I have to agree.

My methods are a bit more modern and sophisticated than were his, but I want coffee strong enough to stand a spoon up in it. That’s why I never go to coffee houses. They never make the coffee strong enough to suit me, and I always question the cleanliness of their equipment.

Despite that, I must say that I am fascinated by some of their concoctions. Because drinking cold brew every afternoon at 3 PM has become as much a part of my lifestyle as waking up in the morning, I was eager to try a copycat recipe that I found on the web for Starbuck’s Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte. It’s simple enough, just add a tablespoon (I use more) of cinnamon syrup to cold brew coffee, top it off with a splash of cream, and you have a wonderful, refreshing beverage. I drink cold brew all through the winter, outside temperatures don’t dictate whether I drink coffee or not. If you only drink it during the summer, you'll need to add this one to your repertoire. It’s really good.

Starbuck’s Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte Copycat

 1/3 c. water

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

   2 t. vanilla extract

1 t. cinnamon

Double shot espresso

Ice

¼ c. whole milk

 In a small saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cook for 3-5 minutes until it comes to a simmer. Remove the syrup from the pot into an airtight container.

 Fill your favorite glass with ice. Add espresso and 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar syrup. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour in milk and enjoy.

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