If you love the combination of sweet and salty, you'll love this easy salted caramel martini with Baileys and vodka! With just a few ingredients and a drizzle of caramel sauce, you've got dessert in a glass.
This creamy salted caramel martini is so simple and so good. With just three basic ingredients, you have a sweet and salty cocktail. Drizzling it with extra caramel sauce makes it impressive enough for special occasions. It looks fancy but it's so easy!
This decadent cocktail is perfect for any time you want a fun dessert drink. It's the ultimate combination of sweet and salty with just enough vodka to let you know you're drinking a martini.
Here's what you'll need
This recipe couldn't be easier. The combination of caramel, sea salt, and cream liqueur makes the flavor of this indulgent dessert martini hard to resist.
Here's what you'll need to make it:
- Salted caramel sauce - salted caramel sauce adds caramel flavor accented by a touch of salt. You have a few different options here. I use this salted caramel topping, but you can use any sauce or caramel syrup to add flavor to your drink. If it's not already salted, add a pinch of fine sea salt (so it will dissolve easily) to the shaker.
You can also make your own homemade caramel sauce. To make it from scratch, just cook and stir sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt together until it's caramelized.
- Baileys Irish Cream - Irish cream liqueur is made from sweet cream and Irish whiskey. It adds to the sweetness and creaminess of the drink. You can use original Baileys or the salted caramel flavor. Or you can use the almond milk version if you prefer.
- Vodka - I tend to use plain vodka for cocktail recipes because that's what I usually have at home. But there are so many options that would work here. You can use vanilla or caramel vodka, or experiment with other flavors that would go with this sweet creamy drink.
- Cream - this is completely optional depending on how sweet and how strong you want your martini. Adding unsweetened cream will tone down the sweetness and the alcohol. It also makes it even creamier. You can use whole milk, half and half, or heavy cream depending on what you have on hand.
- Sea salt - be sure to use coarse salt to rim the glass so you can see it on the caramel. I used natural sea salt from Bonaire (a souvenir from my last Caribbean cruise) but any coarse salt would work. Try a pink salt for Valentine's Day!
How to make a salted caramel martini
Once you have all the ingredients, just shake everything together with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker so it's extra cold and slightly frothy.
Pro tip: if you use a thick caramel, like the topping, dissolve it in the vodka before adding it to the shaker so it's easier to mix.
How to serve it
This is a fun drink to serve in a decorated glass. To rim the glass, pour a little caramel sauce onto a flat plate and run the rim through it. Or if your sauce is extra thick use the back of a spoon to spread the caramel on the edge of the glass. Then dip the rim into a plate of coarse salt.
To add the caramel drizzle inside the glass, swirl it in a spiral starting at the bottom of the glass and working your way up to the top. If your sauce is not in a squeeze bottle, dip a fork in it and drizzle it around the glass.
Variations
Starting with the basic ingredients of caramel, cream liqueur, and vodka, you can change up the recipe to make several different variations on this sweet martini.
Salted caramel apple martini. If you love caramel apples, use apple-flavored vodka.
RumChata salted caramel martini. Use creamy RumChata instead of Irish cream.
Caramel chocolate martini. Swap Baileys chocolate liqueur for all or part of the Baileys.
Caramel Kahlua martini. Add a shot of espresso or swap Kahlua coffee liqueur for part of the vodka for a coffee-infused version.
Caramel mocha martini. Combine the chocolate and coffee versions.
However you make it, you will love this sweet and salty martini!
More easy cocktail recipes to try
Looking for more drinks with the classic taste of the Irish cream? Give these a try!
- Key Lime Pie Martini
- Godiva Chocolate Martini
- Pumpkin Pie Martini
- Espresso Martini With Baileys And Kahlua
- Baileys Ice Cream Milkshake
- Hot Chocolate With Baileys
Salted Caramel Martini
Ingredients
- ice cubes
- 2-½ ounces Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
- 1-½ ounces vodka
- 1 tablespoon salted caramel syrup sauce, or topping, plus more for decorating glass
- splash of heavy cream or half and half optional
- coarse sea salt to rim glass
Equipment
Instructions
- If desired, dip the rim of the martini glass into a flat dish of caramel and then dip in sea salt. Drizzle caramel on the inside of the glass.
- Add ice, Baileys, vodka, caramel, and cream if using to a cocktail shaker.
- Shake until blended. Then strain into the prepared glass.
Lauren says
Add butterscotch too
Lisa says
That sounds good too!