Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso and recipes provided by brand representatives. All photos, opinions and original recipe are my own unless otherwise stated. *Disclosure: contains affiliate links.

“Triple Shot Espresso. Not one, not two, but three shots of the finest Italian Espresso are infused into Three Olives Vodka to create the ultimate expression of coffee. Taste the chocolaty notes gained from using only the finest selection of imported roasted beans – drink on the rocks, as a shot or in your favorite martini.” – quoted from Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso marketing materials

This is what Three Olives Vodka has to say about one of their three newest infused vodkas released in June 2007. Being the pure coffee drinker that I am (no cream, no sugar, give me the strongest you have please), I could hardly wait to get my hands on a bottle the Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso. Until now Van Gogh’s Double Espresso Double Caffeine Vodka has been the ruling dark coffee vodka on the market. Since both brands have flavor infusions that appeal to me, I thought it would be interesting to see how they compared.

Triple Shot Espresso vs Double Espresso

I must confess here and now, chocolate does not rank high on my list of desirable indulgences. In a side by side tasting between Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso and Van Gogh Double Espresso Double Caffeine, the difference is easy to pick out right away. Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso has a richer, deeper color than the Van Gogh. In regard to taste, the variation is in the chocolate.

Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso’s chocolate base definitely brings out a pronounced sharper edge to the espresso flavor. It is robust and full of body. The crisp, clean vodka feel of Three Olives is carried throughout. Underneath is that slight bite of chocolate. In a straight up tasting, the chocolate edges were not rounded off enough for my palate. It was not smooth enough. Van Gogh has a caramel undercurrent leaving a bit of creamy smooth feel in the follow through.

Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Cocktails

However, my tasting did not stop there. Three Olives introduced four new recipes with the Triple Shot Espresso. Once I moved along to these cocktails, what mattered most was whether the espresso flavor remained the primary feature and how the flavor held up after mingling with other spirits.

Money Shot Shooter

I typically do not recommend shots or shooters. They are usually overly sweet, strong flavored and gone too fast to enjoy. However, the Money Shot is an astonishing surprise. This is not a “throw back to get wasted” shooter. It would be possible to increase the ratios slightly and make this into a cocktail.

The Money Shot is slightly nutty with definite espresso shine through. The half and half adds froth, but does not make this a creamy shooter. It is just the right amount of sweetness.  I could definitely imagine this as a hot coffee style drink with a few minor changes.

Money Shot

1 ounce Three Olives Triple Espresso Vodka

1/2 ounce Hazelnut Liqueur

1/2 ounce Half and Half

Combine liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled. Strain into a shooter glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings if you like.

Triple Decadence Cocktail

What I noticed first about Triple Decadence was the scent of orange zest on the rim. Divine. The coffee flavor was intense and the cocktail was well balanced. Even though there is no cream added to this recipe, there is definitely a creamy texture to the drink. Orange, chocolate and coffee work exceedingly well together. Other flavors, such as hazelnut or amaretto, could be substituted for flavor variety.

Triple Decadence

1-1/4 ounce Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka

3/4 ounce Premium Dark Chocolate Liqueur

1/2 ounce Orange Liqueur

Orange Twist

Place liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fresh orange twist.

Triple Espresso Martini

I found the Triple Espresso Martini to be sickly sweet. The addition of chocolate syrup made it feel gooey on my lips. A chocolate curl served on the rim of the glass would have been so much better than chocolate syrup in my opinion. Make your own chocolate curls or try these Dark Chocolate curls from Guittard.

To be quite honest, glasses rimmed in sticky syrups, liqueurs and even sugar do not appeal to me from a taste standard. They look pretty, but are not practical at all.

Triple Espresso Martini

1-1/2 ounce Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka

1 ounce Coconut Rum

1/2 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Chocolate Syrup

Lace chocolate syrup around the inside of a chilled cocktail glass. Set aside. Combine vodka, rum and liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled. Strain into prepared cocktail glass.

White Mochatini Cocktail

I do love a frothy coffee cocktail topped with fresh espresso beans. They give off an amazing aroma. White chocolate is smooth and creamy in this drink, but smothers most of the espresso flavor. It seems like an espresso cocktail should have more espresso flavor than this. The white chocolate liqueur is also excessively sweet.

White Mochatini

1 ounce Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka

1 ounce Premium White Chocolate Liqueur

1 ounce Half & Half

3 Espresso Beans for Garnish

Combine first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled one-third full of ice.  Shake ten to fifteen seconds.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with three espresso beans.

Espresso White Russian

White Russian drinks are one of my not so secret indulgences. This being the case I had to see what one would taste like using espresso vodka. The espresso vodka holds up rather nicely in this variation. Espresso vodka combined with coffee liqueur gives this drink deeply rich espresso flavor. All good in my opinion.

Espresso White Russian – recipe adaption by Cheri Loughlin

1-1/4 ounce Three Olives Triple Espresso Vodka

1-1/4 ounce Kahlua Especial

1-1/4 ounce Half and Half

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add liquid ingredients to the glass in the order given. Stir briefly.

Modified White Russian

It’s also enjoyable to sip on the rocks or with just a splash of half & half for a modified, lower sugar White Russian. This version cuts down on a few of the calories and carbohydrates from the liqueur, while still enjoying the deep, rich flavor of the espresso vodka.

I use fat-free half and half instead of regular half & half. The flavor is the same, but with fewer calories. You can view nutritional information for the fat-free version here.

Modified White Russian – recipe adaption by Cheri Loughlin

2-1/2 ounces Three Olives Triple Espresso Vodka

1-1/4 ounce Half and Half

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add liquid ingredients to the glass in the order given. Stir briefly.

Final Thoughts

All in all I am rather pleased with the Triple Shot Espresso Vodka. This is a wonderful addition to the liquor cabinet. What will be truly exciting is experimenting with new recipes. Let’s think beyond cocktails and shots. This could be used in ice cream, hot chocolate and brunch coffee.

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All content ©2016 Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist. All Rights Reserved. Chat with Cheri @Intoxicologist on Twitter and facebook.com/Intoxicologist

Cheri Loughlin is the Omaha writer and photographer behind www.intoxicologist.net and author of Cocktails with a Tryst: An Affair with Mixology and Seduction. You can email Cheri with comments and questions at str8upcocktails@gmail.com.

*Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, all thoughts and opinions shared in this post are my honest personal opinions. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”