We think that coffee and liquor make a fantastic combo! Adding Bailey’s or a sweet liqueur to your dessert coffee really takes it up a notch. Who’s with us?
But there’s so much more that you can do with coffee and liquor. You don’t have to make your coffee cocktail sweet—you can combine a bold dark roast coffee with bitters or herbal liqueur to make a bittersweet drink that has tons of complex flavors.
To see all the different possibilities, check out the list of coffee cocktails below! We’ll walk you through how to make each one so you can do it at home—no need to go to a bar to get your coffee fix.
Let’s jump right in!
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Irish Coffee
This coffee cocktail is an absolute classic! You’ve probably had it at least once in your life, probably on St. Patrick’s Day. But we think this smooth coffee cocktail is perfect for any time of year.
It features bold medium or dark roast coffee that contrasts nicely with the smooth, subtly sweet Irish whiskey. On top, it has a thin layer of lightly whipped heavy cream that adds a pleasant richness. We found that this heavy cream works the best, give it a try for yourself!
Some variations, like Irish Cream Coffee also, have a little bit of Bailey’s in them, which makes them taste even richer. Can’t go wrong with that right?
If you’re looking for a coffee cocktail that pairs perfectly with your favorite dessert, this is the one to try!
To make it at home, combine six ounces of coffee with a teaspoon each of cane sugar and brown sugar. Then add an ounce and a half of your favorite Irish whiskey (we like Jameson) and top the drink off with a big old dollop of whipped cream! Use these measuring spoons for the best accuracy if you don’t have any in your kitchen at home, we use these in the office quite often actually.
Siciliano
If Irish Coffee is too heavy and sweet for you, try a Siciliano! It has an ounce and a half of amaro in it, which is a bittersweet herbal liqueur.
The bitterness of the liqueur is balanced out by two ounces sweet vermouth and an ounce of sugary simple syrup. A few splashes of club soda and an ounce and a half of strong cold brew coffee (one of our favorite cold brews) round out this complex, flavorful cocktail.
This coffee cocktail ends up tasting lightly sweet and refreshing because it’s served cold. It’s the perfect way to end dinner on a summer day when it’s too warm outside to even think about drinking something hot!
Coffee Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is a classic cocktail with a few basic components—a teaspoon of simple syrup, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and two ounces of bourbon. It’s usually served with an orange wedge in a rocks glass like this one.
It’s the kind of cocktail that makes you feel fancy and sophisticated when you drink it… unless you make it a totally un-fancy coffee mug with cheap bourbon (guilty).
To make it less sad that we’re drinking our Old Fashioned out of a coffee mug, we usually add an ounce of one of the best espressos to it.
You can use a few splashes of regular coffee or coffee liqueur in place of the espresso, but we like the bold kick of flavor espresso adds. It also helps cover up the fact that we’re using cheap bourbon!
White Russian
A White Russian is usually made with coffee liqueur, vodka, and heavy cream. But if coffee liqueur just doesn’t hit the spot for you, you can replace it with cold brew coffee for a nice caffeine kick.
Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes (or a coffee mug, we don’t judge) and add two ounces of vodka, one ounce of cream, and one ounce of cold brew coffee to it.
Voila! Your White Russian is done. Sink down into your couch, find a TV show to binge watch, and enjoy!
Italian Coffee
Italian coffee is aromatic, warming and comforting. It’s made with rich dark roast coffee and an herbaceous Italian liqueur called Strega.
Strega has a bunch of herbs in it, including mint, fennel, and saffron. The saffron gives it a golden yellow color and a pleasant, mildly sweet flavor.
This combination of Strega and dark roast coffee gets topped with a dash of nutmeg and a few generous spoonfuls of whipped cream.
If you want to make this coffee cocktail at home, you should combine about five ounces of a good dark roast coffee with one ounce of Strega. Top it off with a little nutmeg and as much whipped cream as your glass can fit!
Dublin Iced Coffee
What’s better than strong cold brew coffee mixed with whisky and beer? Nothing!
Dublin Iced Coffee is truly something special. It’s kind of like a boozy milkshake, but lighter and more refreshing because it doesn’t have ice cream. It’s the perfect sweet treat to enjoy on a summer day on your back patio.
To make it at home, grab a tall glass, like this highball glass, and fill it with ice.
Then pour two ounces of your favorite cold brew coffee into the glass along with two ounces of good Irish stout, an ounce and a half of Irish whiskey, and a half ounce of heavy cream. Add around a tablespoon and a half of simple syrup to the glass too and stir it up.
Top your drink with a little bit of freshly grated cinnamon. If you want to get fancy, drizzle a little chocolate syrup on top too. Enjoy!
Yum! Those are our list of 6 coffee cocktails you need to make at home! Which one are you most excited to try? Writing this post has given us a serious craving for a Coffee Old Fashioned. Let us know which drinks you’re going to make, or additional coffee cocktails you’ve tried and mastered in the comments section below!
Before you leave!
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Did these coffee cocktails inspire your inner barista to come out? Continue the coffee- conversations and take a look at How to Make a Latte or French Press vs Drip Coffee.
Want to learn more about making coffee from people just like you? Be sure to join our private Facebook group here at Daily Coffee Talk. You’ll be able to learn how to brew, how to roast and most importantly how to enjoy the perfect cup of coffee!
Thanks for reading, coffee friends, we’ll brew ya later! ☕️
