LAS VEGAS — Get ready to ignite your taste buds with Spark Plug, the latest sensation in the world of cocktails. This canned espresso martini is revolutionizing the way Americans enjoy their evening libations, and it’s not hard to see why. With its origins in the vibrant nightlife and dining scene of Las Vegas, Spark Plug is making waves across the country with its contemporary reinterpretation of the beloved espresso martini.
Crafted with the utmost care and precision, Spark Plug is a delightful fusion of the finest Arabica coffee, six-times-distilled vodka, Madagascar vanilla, and pure cane sugar. The result? An explosion of exceptional flavors that is sure to leave you craving for more. There are no synthetic sweeteners here and nothing to hide behind — just filtered water, real spirit, real coffee, and a whisper of natural flavor. At 20% ABV, it drinks like a proper cocktail rather than a soft, watered-down seltzer, and the caffeine (roughly 80 to 100 milligrams a can) gives it the same gentle lift you’d expect from the drink that inspired it.
But where can you get your hands on this liquid gold? Fear not, for Spark Plug is available at a variety of on-premise and off-premise locations across the United States. Find Spark Plug Near You!
Why the espresso martini refuses to fade
The espresso martini was born in a London bar in the 1980s, the story goes, when a model asked for something that would “wake me up and then mess me up.” That single request captured why the drink has never really gone away. It is the rare cocktail that does two jobs at once: the coffee carries you into the night, and the spirit softens the edges of it. For a generation that treats brunch, dinner, and the after-party as one continuous evening, that dual personality is the whole point. What changed recently is expectation. Drinkers who grew up on third-wave coffee now want the same integrity in a cocktail — identifiable beans, honest sweetness, no burnt or artificial aftertaste. Spark Plug lands squarely in that appetite, using real Arabica rather than coffee-flavored syrup, which is exactly why it reads as a grown-up drink rather than a novelty.
The nitro difference you can see
Anyone who has ordered an espresso martini at a busy bar knows the ritual: the hard shake, the strain, and that pale, tobacco-colored foam floating on top. That crema is the signature, and it is also the first thing most canned coffee cocktails get wrong. Spark Plug solves it with nitrogen rather than the CO2 used in most fizzy ready-to-drink cans. Carbonation gives you sharp, prickly bubbles; nitrogen gives you tiny, tightly packed ones that cascade and settle into a dense, creamy head. Pour a chilled can slowly over ice and you get the same velvety crown you’d see come off a bartender’s shaker — and, unlike a hand-shaken foam that collapses in a minute or two, this one holds. It is the detail that separates a real espresso martini from a coffee soda, and it happens without a single tool in your kitchen.
How to serve it right
Treat Spark Plug like the cocktail it is and it rewards you. Chill the 200ml can thoroughly — a cold pour throws a better crema and mutes any sharpness in the coffee. For the classic presentation, tip it slowly down the side of a coupe or a rocks glass over one large cube; the slower the pour, the thicker the head. Three garnishes do most of the work: a trio of coffee beans laid on the foam (the traditional nod to health, wealth, and happiness), a strip of orange peel expressed over the top for a bright citrus lift, or a dusting of cocoa or grated dark chocolate if you want to lean into dessert. A can is 150 calories and 8 grams of sugar across two servings, so it stays on the lighter side of the cocktail menu, and because it’s gluten-free and dairy-free it slots neatly into most guests’ dietary lines without a second thought.
What it actually tastes like
The first impression is aroma: lift the glass and you get roasted coffee and warm vanilla before the liquid ever reaches your lips, the Madagascar bean rounding off what could otherwise be a sharp espresso edge. On the palate it opens with the bittersweet pull of real Arabica, moves through a clean, almost silky mid-note from the six-times-distilled vodka, and finishes with cane sugar that reads as balanced rather than candied — there’s a reason the recipe skips synthetic sweeteners, which tend to leave a chemical tail. The nitro texture is what ties it together, coating the tongue with a soft, cream-like weight that mimics the mouthfeel of a freshly shaken martini. It is dry enough to serve before dinner and rich enough to close a meal, and at 40 proof it carries genuine cocktail structure without tipping into harshness.
What to eat and when to pour it
Coffee and chocolate are the obvious partners, and they earn the cliche — a square of 70% dark chocolate, a plate of tiramisu, or an affogato-style scoop of vanilla ice cream all echo the vanilla and Arabica in the glass. Push further and the drink handles savory company well: salty Marcona almonds, a sharp aged cheddar, or a cheese board with candied pecans all play against the sweetness. As an occasion, it is the most versatile pour in the fridge. It works as a dessert course when you don’t want to open another bottle, as the centerpiece of a bottomless brunch, or as the drink you hand guests the moment they arrive so the evening has somewhere to go. Because there’s no shaking, straining, or measuring, one host can keep a room of ten served without ever leaving the conversation — the reason the four-pack and the sixteen-can Party Pack tend to disappear at gatherings.
From a Vegas bar to your doorstep
Spark Plug’s momentum isn’t just marketing noise; the industry has been handing it hardware. It took Best in Show for RTD at the 2024 TAG Global Spirits Awards, Gold at The Canned Challenge, Double Gold at the PR%F Awards, Gold at both the San Diego Spirits Festival and the 2025 Las Vegas Global Spirit Awards, and a spot in BevNet’s 2024 RTD Guide. That recognition tracks with where it’s poured: you’ll find it in the hands of guests at premier Las Vegas venues including LIV and LIV Beach, Hakkasan, OMNIA, Caesars Palace, and Marquee — the same rooms where the modern cocktail-going crowd sets its expectations.
Getting a can is easier than the Vegas pedigree might suggest. Retail four-packs sit on shelves in California, Nevada, New York, and New Jersey, stocked through the licensed-retailer network that keeps the brand compliant from one state line to the next. If you live outside those four, Spark Plug ships direct to 44 states through those same licensed retailers — an adult signature and ID are required on delivery, so keep someone of age home to sign for it. Browse the full map of locations to see what’s pouring near you.
So, whether you’re in the mood for a night out on the town or a cozy evening at home, make sure to grab a can of Spark Plug and experience the magic for yourself. Cheers to the new king of cocktails!