Best Espresso Martinis in the East Village
TL;DR
The best espresso martini in the East Village for the money is the nitro-infused one at FKA: Formerly Known As, $15, on the menu until 4 a.m. The Smith, on Third Avenue, lists one at $17.50. The Copper Still, on 2nd Avenue, lists a whiskey-and-amaro version at $16. Death & Co's current New York cocktails run $18 to $26, and an espresso martini is not on that list.
An espresso martini is a small contract. You are asking for vodka, coffee, and a little sweetness, cold, in a glass you can finish before the foam dies. In the East Village, the rooms that feel fancier charge more for a simpler build, or they do not pour this drink at all.
We checked the menus that are up now, in this neighborhood. Prices below are from the bars’ own pages, plus the Forbes note on the drink we make. The icon cocktails are a different list. This one is only the coffee drink.
Quick reference: espresso martinis in the East Village
FKA: is the nitro martini at $15 until 4 a.m. The Smith is the restaurant pour at $17.50, on Third Avenue between 10th and 11th. The Copper Still is the whiskey version at $16, on the same avenue as us. Death & Co is the expensive cocktail room, and the current New York list does not include this drink.
| Bar | Built with | Price | The clock |
|---|---|---|---|
| FKA: Formerly Known As | ALB Vodka, Have A Nice Day cold brew, Mr Black, baking spices, nitrogen | $15 | 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., every day |
| The Smith | Vodka, coffee liqueur, vanilla, cold brew | $17.50 | Until 11 p.m., midnight Fri and Sat |
| The Copper Still | Teeling Irish whiskey, Amaro Lucano, cafe, vanilla, almond bitters | $16 | 151 2nd Avenue, East Village menu |
1. FKA: Formerly Known As
Best for: A nitro espresso martini that costs less than the restaurant versions, at 6 p.m. or at 2 a.m.
The nitro-infused espresso martini is $15. The build is ALB Vodka, Have A Nice Day cold brew, Mr Black, and fall baking spices. It sits in its own box on the menu, next to the freezer-door martinis, not in the row of drinks named for downtown icons. Those are $15 too. This one is the coffee.
Nitrogen is the part you can taste and the part you cannot see a recipe for on a normal shake. Hannah Hulsey, head bartender, told Forbes on September 26, 2026: “Baking spices, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon complement the coffee’s flavors perfectly and are enhanced by the nitrogen infusion, resulting in a smooth, creamy finish.” That is the drink. Creamy from the gas, sweet from the spices, coffee from the cold brew and the Mr Black.
Set that next to the other printed prices in the neighborhood. The Smith charges $17.50 for vodka, coffee liqueur, vanilla, and cold brew, and the dining room is done by midnight. The Copper Still charges $16 for a whiskey-and-amaro version, one dollar more, without nitrogen on the card. Two of ours are $30. Two at The Smith are $35. The gap gets wider if you eat: West Robbins oysters are $1 and the seasonal East Coast oyster is $2.50, so a dozen West Robbins and this martini is $27. At Death & Co, the oyster plate on the current menu is $28 before you have ordered a drink, and the drinks start at $18.
The bar is open 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day, and the kitchen stays with it. 221 2nd Avenue, between 13th and 14th. Walk in. The menu is here.
- Address: 221 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
- Price: $15
- Must-order: The nitro espresso martini, then decide if you are eating
2. The Smith
Best for: An espresso martini with a full dinner on Third Avenue
The Smith at 55 Third Avenue, between 10th and 11th, prints the espresso martini inside a cocktail list priced at $17.50: vodka, coffee liqueur, vanilla, cold brew. No nitrogen. No coffee liqueur brand on the card. It is the neighborhood restaurant version of the drink, and it costs $2.50 more than the nitro one a few blocks north.
Hours on their locations page run Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday 9:30 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Order it with dinner. If the martini is the thing you wanted at 1 a.m., this room is closed.
- Address: 55 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10003
- Price: $17.50
- Must-order: The espresso martini with dinner, before the kitchen closes
3. The Copper Still
Best for: A whiskey espresso martini on 2nd Avenue
The Copper Still at 151 2nd Avenue prints an espresso martini at $16: Teeling Irish whiskey, Amaro Lucano, cafe, Giffard vanilla, and almond bitters. That is a different drink from a vodka martini. The whiskey and the amaro are the fancy part, and the price is still a dollar over a nitro vodka martini that names its cold brew and its coffee liqueur.
It is the same avenue, south of 14th Street. Read the $16 line on the East Village drink menu before you assume the build is the classic one. If you wanted Irish whiskey in the glass, this is the order. If you wanted nitrogen and a later close, walk north.
- Address: 151 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
- Price: $16
- Must-order: The whiskey espresso martini, if the amaro is the point
What the expensive cocktail room charges instead
Death & Co on East 6th Street is the serious cocktail bar in this neighborhood. The current New York list runs from $18 to $26. Most of the drinks sit in the low twenties. An espresso martini is not on it. Going there for this drink means ordering something else, at a higher price, inside a two-hour visit. Hours are 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Their oyster plate is $28. A dozen West Robbins and the nitro martini at FKA: is $27, and you are still holding the coffee drink. That is the comparison that matters if the other option was “a nice cocktail in the East Village” rather than this specific glass.
How to order one without guessing
Read three lines before you sit down: what the coffee is, whether anyone said nitrogen, and what the room charges for the same idea.
Coffee. Cold brew, like FKA: and The Smith, is smoother and less sharp. The Copper Still prints “cafe” with Irish whiskey and amaro, which is a bitter, boozier glass. Mr Black is on our card. The other two do not name it.
Nitrogen. A nitro martini pours creamier and keeps a tighter head. A shaken one depends on the ice and the bartender. If a menu does not say nitro, do not assume the foam you saw online is what you will get. The Smith does not say it. The Copper Still does not say it. Ours does.
The money. $17.50 at The Smith. $16 at The Copper Still. $18 to $26 at Death & Co for a drink that is not this one. $15 at FKA:, until 4 a.m., with the kitchen still open. The restaurant pour is the right order when dinner was the reservation. It is a strange way to spend the extra money when the drink was the point.
Pair it with food if the coffee is going to do its job. A martini on an empty stomach and a second one because the foam was good is how the night gets away from you. Oysters are the small answer. A burger is the large one. Both are on the same menu until 4 a.m. The late-night kitchen is that fact without the cocktail talk. For the date that starts with this drink, the room notes are in first date spots.
Come for the nitro one. 221 2nd Avenue, $15, until 4 a.m.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best espresso martini in the East Village?
For the price, the nitro-infused espresso martini at FKA: Formerly Known As, 221 2nd Avenue. It is $15, made with ALB Vodka, Have A Nice Day cold brew, Mr Black, and fall baking spices, and the bar is open until 4 a.m. every night. The Smith lists one at $17.50. The Copper Still lists a whiskey version at $16.
How much is the espresso martini at FKA:?
$15, from open to close. That is $2.50 under the espresso martini on The Smith's $17.50 cocktail list, and $1 under the whiskey-and-amaro version at The Copper Still. West Robbins oysters are $1 and the seasonal East Coast oyster is $2.50 if you want something to eat with it.
What does nitro do to an espresso martini?
Nitrogen infusion is what makes the FKA: version creamy without a dairy add-in. Hannah Hulsey, head bartender, told Forbes that baking spices, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon complement the coffee, and that the nitrogen infusion gives it a smooth, creamy finish. The Smith and The Copper Still do not print nitrogen on their espresso martinis.
Why do other East Village espresso martinis cost more?
The Smith puts the drink on a restaurant cocktail list priced at $17.50, and the dining room closes at 11 p.m. most nights. The Copper Still builds one with Teeling Irish whiskey and Amaro Lucano and charges $16. Death & Co, the serious cocktail room on East 6th Street, publishes drinks from $18 to $26 and does not list an espresso martini at all.
Is an espresso martini a good last drink?
It is coffee. Order it when you want the night to keep going, not when you need to sleep in an hour. At FKA: that can be 3 a.m. The Smith closes at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at midnight on Friday and Saturday. Death & Co closes at 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and limits a visit to two hours.