As the festive season approaches, it’s almost impossible to avoid thinking about all the delicious indulgences that could elevate your Christmas.
If you are entertaining family and friends, cocktails are always great additions to your seasonal offering and are guaranteed to impress. Why not treat yourself and your coffee loving visitors to a coffee cocktail or several?
Coffee and alcohol work so well together that you have truly delicious possibilities to explore. Like cooking, the mixing of coffee cocktails enables you to get creative. You can always lend a touch of flair to your drinks by adding your own twist to any recipes that you decide to try.
Our hottest coffee cocktail tips should help you to achieve amazing drinks and you could begin your mixing adventure with our ten suggested recipes. They are guaranteed to put smiles on faces.
Top tips for mixing coffee cocktails
Here’s what to bear in mind when planning and mixing coffee cocktails:
- Vodka’s neutral taste makes it a great partner for coffee.
- Rum, gin, tequila, whisky and bourbon are also great inclusions in coffee cocktails.
- Whisky, bourbon and rum work well with strong flavours including cinnamon, orange and hazelnut. They are best paired with dark roast coffee when mixing cocktails.
- Tia Maria and Baileys create smooth and indulgent cocktails.
- Gin and tequila complement berry flavours, almond and mint. They are best paired with light roast coffee.
- Take care to find a good balance between the volume of coffee and alcohol in your recipes so as to avoid overpowering either the coffee or the taste of the spirits.
- Powerful or rich flavours work best with dark roast coffee.
- Use quality coffee to create your espresso, cold brew or filter coffee.
- Presentation matters. Use attractive glasses to serve your cocktails and add garnishes.
- Invest in a cocktail shaker.
Enticing coffee cocktail recipes
- Tia Maria Flat White Russian
This special cocktail gives you a warming treat to savour and one that is ideal for a cold winter night.
You will need:
20 ml Vodka
20 ml Tia Maria
1 Shot of espresso (2 shots if you need a pick-me-up)
Steamed milk
To mix:
Place the vodka and Tia Maria in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously before pouring the mixture into a glass. Pour the espresso shot onto the alcohol and then pour over steamed milk as if making a flat white.
- Bailey’s Irish Ice
This luxurious (and calorific) recipe from thespruceeats.com is almost a dessert! If you don’t have the time or the inclination to make Guinness ice cream, use vanilla instead.
You will need:
30ml Irish cream liqueur
2 Scoops of Guinness ice cream
15ml Espresso
Whipped cream
To mix:
Put the liqueur and ice cream in a blender and bled until smooth. Pour the mixture into a suitable chilled glass and then top with espresso and whipped cream. Simples! (Apart from the Guinness ice cream).
- Whiskey Buzz
Created in New York, a Whiskey Buzz is a rich, indulgent and satisfying drink that gives you an amazing night cap.
You will need:
45ml Whiskey
15ml Vermouth
10ml Amaretto
40ml Shot of espresso or 15ml of cold brew concentrate
15ml Double cream
1 Teaspoon of cinnamon syrup
Nutmeg to garnish
To mix:
Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake vigorously. Then add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a glass containing a large ice cube, then garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
- Dead Rabbit Irish Coffee
A warming drink that feels like a comforting hug, this cocktail is the signature drink at The Dead Rabbit, an Irish bar in New York. No animals will be harmed in the mixing of this cocktail!
You will need:
30ml Irish whiskey
100ml Filter coffee (hot)
20ml Demerara syrup (see below)
30ml Double cream
Nutmeg for garnish
To mix:
To make the syrup, add 2 parts sugar and 1 part water to a saucepan. Warm the mixture while stirring until the sugar is dissolved and then allow the syrup to cool. Then, warm a coffee glass. Add the whiskey, coffee and syrup to the glass and stir. Add cream by pouring over the back of a spoon as with an Irish coffee. Garnish with freshly ground nutmeg.
- Gingerbread Espresso Martini
Hard to resist, this winter warmer will lift your spirits with its smooth texture and hint of spice. It’s also a great alternative to a pudding if you are stuffed after that festive roast!
You will need:
50ml Vodka
25ml Espresso coffee, chilled
15ml Gingerbread syrup
3 Coffee beans
To mix:
Rim a chilled martini glass with a blend of cinnamon and sugar. Add the vodka, espresso and syrup to a shaker together with plenty of ice. Shake until the cocktail is chilled and then strain into the glass. Add the coffee beans and serve.
- Caramel Macchiato Martini
There’s an incredibly indulgent feel to this special cocktail that makes it a must-drink at Christmas. It will certainly wow friends and family.
You will need:
40ml Vanilla vodka
30ml Coffee liqueur
30ml Caramel syrup
40ml Shot of espresso
Vanilla essence
To mix:
Add the vodka, coffee liqueur and espresso to a shaker together with plenty of ice. Shake until the cocktail is nicely chilled then strain into a chilled martini glass. Drizzle with the syrup and complete the drink with a couple of drops of vanilla essence.
- Coffee Colada
Treat yourself to a cool coffee cocktail and one with a tantalising tropical twist! You could enjoy this drink at any time of the year, but it would certainly be an impressive addition to your Christmas wish list.
You will need:
60ml Coconut rum (such as Malibu)
100ml Cold brew coffee
30ml Coconut milk
Toasted Coconut flakes to garnish
Coconut flavouring
To mix:
Combine the coconut rum, cold brew coffee and coconut milk in a glass filled with ice. Stir and then add a couple of drops of coconut flavouring. Garnish with the toasted coconut flakes and serve.
- Sassy Sangria
Perfect for parties, this exciting reimagining of fruity Sangria is both exotic and refreshing. You won’t find a better sharing cocktail that can be mixed ahead of time.
You will need:
900ml Cold brew or iced filter coffee
250ml Tequila
100ml Cointreau or any orange liqueur
Simple syrup to taste (50ml is a good starting point).
1 Orange, sliced
1 Lime, sliced
1 Sharp apple, diced
To mix:
Add the coffee, Tequilla, Cointreau and sugar syrup to a large pitcher. Stir well and then add the fruit. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour. You can buy sugar syrup (simple syrup) but if you want to make it yourself, warm equal quantities of sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved, then leave to cool. You can keep any syrup you don’t use in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
- Ginger Coffee Spritzer
This surprising blend delivers a refreshing and uplifting cocktail with a ginger twist that will always put a spring in your step.
You will need:
60ml Dark rum
15ml Lime juice
30ml Cold brew concentrate
150ml Ginger beer
Lime wedge
To mix:
Fill a glass with ice and then add the rum, lime juice and cold brew concentrate. Stir well, then pour over the ginger beer, stir again and garnish with a lime wedge.
- Minty Coffee Marvel
This delicious recipe is wonderful served hot or cold. There’s something special about a coffee, cream and mint blend, That delicious taste is elevated here by the addition of alcohol.
You will need:
100ml of filter coffee (hot or chilled)
30ml peppermint schnapps
50ml Tia Maria
30ml Double cream
Whipped cream
To mix:
Add the coffee, schnapps, Tia Maria and cream to a glass. Top with whipped cream. A sprinkle of brown sugar would lend a touch of sweetness to this memorable drink.
Getting crafty with coffee cocktails
There are coffee cocktails to suit all tastes and you will soon discover the flavour notes that you love. After checking out a few recipes, try creating your own. The possibilities are endless! Friends and family can be your guinea pigs and will doubtless soon tell you if you have conjured up a triumph or a disaster.