Chaotic Wellness Club Happy Hour: Matcha Cocktails for Summer

The wellness-girl cousin of the espresso martini is here—and she’s adorable.

By Jenny Smith Mattfeldt | Published July 17, 2025

Look—you take care of yourself. You get the water. You get the steps. Whether you feel like it or not, you’re a wellness girly. And I have your next obsession: the matcha martini. She’s adorable. She’s delicious. She’s the wellness-obsessed flower child cousin of the espresso martini and this week I might even like her better (this is coming from someone who never turns down an espresso martini). Plus matcha cocktails are drinks you could serve at a summer party that will be a real show stopper.

We’re not doing syrupy cocktails this summer. We're doing refreshing + clean, we’re doing matcha over ice with mint and vodka. We’re zesty matcha margs with a chlorophyll chaser. We’re sipping things that say: 'I love a little antioxidant boost but I also have a little gossip to spill.'

MATCHA MARTINI

*JSM favorite

• *1 teaspoon matcha +1/4 cup hot water

• 1.5 ounce vodka

• 1/2 ounce white creme de cacao or swap in cream, oat milk, creamer, etc.

• 1/2 ounce simple syrup or honey

• Pinch of matcha powder dusted on top to garnish

In a shaker, whisk 1 tsp matcha with ¼ cup hot water until fully dissolved. Stir in your sweetener (simple syrup or honey). Add vodka and white crème de cacao (or alternative). Shake with ice, strain into a frozen martini glass. Dust lightly with matcha powder.

MATCHA GIN SOUR

• *1/4 teaspoon matcha powder + 1 tablespoon warm water

• 2 ounces of gin

• 1 ounce lemon juice

• 3/4 to 1 ounce simple syrup or honey (mix a dash of ginger in your syrup for more elevated flavor)

• 1 egg white (not required but will really give the drink a creamy cohesion)

• Lemon twist to garnish

In your shaker, whisk ¼ tsp matcha with 1 tbsp warm water. Add sweetener (with optional ginger), lemon juice, gin, and egg white. Dry shake for 20 seconds. Add ice, shake again until cold. Double strain into a coupe glass. Let sit for a moment so the foam can rise. Garnish with a lemon twist.

MATCHA MARG

• *1/2 teaspoon matcha powder + 2 tablespoons hot water

• 2 ounces tequila

• 1 ounce lime juice

• 1 ounce orange liquor or orange juice

• 1/2 ounce simple syrup or honey or agave

• Mix salt and a dash of matcha to rim the glass, optional top with dehydrated lime

Whisk ½ tsp matcha with 2 tbsp warm water until smooth. Stir in sweetener of choice. Rim rocks glass with a matcha-salt mixture (optional). Add tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur/juice, and matcha mix to a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain over fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.

*If you want to serve matcha cocktails without committing to a whole tin of matcha, just swing by a coffee shop. Order a matcha latte (or matcha with water), and use about 1 to 1½ ounces of it in place of the matcha and water in the recipe. Easy, no whisk required.

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