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This simple yet decadent dulce de leche cocktail is the perfect dessert drink for date nights at home! It’s like sipping on salted caramel – yum.
With dessert martinis on the rise, we wanted to take our own shot at the sweet cocktail. Since tequila based drinks are some of our favorites, that felt like a natural starting point for us. The dulce de leche on the other hand we just happened to stumble upon at the liquor store. And now I feel completely vindicated for the amount of time I spend browsing…
This cocktail balances sweetness with a hint of smoke and salt. Kinda like taking a bite of a sea salt caramel. And with the salted rim, you get the right texture too. A salty start to every creamy sip!
What This Recipe Entails
To make this decadent drink with a salted dulce de leche rim, you’ll need a few basic bar tools and about 5 minutes.
- Equipment needed: Jigger or shot glass, cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, martini or coupe glass
- Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
You’ll need 3 types of liquor to make this martini, plus an optional (but highly recommended) salted dulce de leche rim:
- Tequila and mezcal – Using both tequila and mezcal allows for a little smokiness without overpowering the drink. You’ll find this done with a lot of mezcal cocktails and can also help introduce people to mezcal if they’re at all hesitant.
- Dulce de leche cream liqueur – You should be able to find this specialty ingredient in your local liquor store. We love the Kamora brand for this cocktail, since it’s made with real tequila.
- Simple syrup – Adds a little extra sweetness to the drink!
- Salted dulce de leche rim – Grab a jar of dulce de leche at the store or make it yourself with a can of condensed milk. Flaky or coarse sea salt works best for added texture and flavor!
How To Make a Dulce de Leche Cocktail
- Rim the glass. First, paint the rim of a martini or coupe glass with warm dulce de leche, then sprinkle flaky sea salt onto it.
- Shake and strain. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until chilled, then strain into the prepared glass. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
- Valentine’s Day – Whip up two of these cocktails for a decadent dessert drink after a romantic V-Day dinner at home.
- Date nights at home – It doesn’t need to be a holiday for you to enjoy this martini! Skip the sweets and indulge in this drink for dessert instead.
- Girls night – What better way to toast to friendship than with a sweet dulce de leche cocktail? Treat yourself and your tequila-loving girlies to these drinks during your weekend movie marathon.
FAQs
No. Dulce de leche is made from sweetened condensed milk (milk with sugar). Caramel is made by simply heating sugar, or sometimes adding water or heavy cream and butter.
Yes, you can use caramel in this recipe if you can’t find dulce de leche or don’t want to make it yourself. It won’t be quite as sweet or thick, but it’ll still taste delicious!
Expert Tips
- Warm up the dulce de leche for a few seconds in the microwave before rimming the glass, so you can essentially “paint” it on with the back of a spoon. This will also help the sea salt stick!
- To add sea salt to the rim, hold the glass horizontally over a plate and sprinkle the salt over the dulce de leche.
- Use a Hawthorne strainer for an ultra smooth texture. This type of strainer prevents even small ice shards from passing through into your drink.
Try our dulce de leche martini recipe and let us know what you think by rating and commenting below! We hope you love this unique cocktail as much as we do.
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Dulce de Leche Martini
Equipment
- Jigger or shot glass
- Hawthorne strainer
- Martini or coupe glass
Ingredients
- 2 fluid ounces dulce de leche liqueur Kamora or other brand
- 1.5 fluid ounces simple syrup
- 1 fluid ounce tequila blanco
- 1 fluid ounce mezcal espadin
- Dulce de leche warm
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- First, paint the rim of a martini or coupe glass with warm dulce de leche, then sprinkle flaky sea salt onto it.
- Add the dulce de leche liqueur, simple syrup, tequila, and mezcal to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into the prepared glass. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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Don’t skip the salted dulce de leche rim on this cocktail! It really makes it a whole dessert on its own. This is a dessert cocktail I can get on board with.