You’ve mastered your French press and got your pour-over game down. Now yo...
Look, I’ll be honest here. When coffee cocktails started popping up everywhere a few years back, I thought it was just another bartender showing off. Coffee’s great, cocktails are great, but mixing them? Seemed like a good way to ruin both.
Then I actually tried a few decent ones. Turns out I was completely wrong.
The thing is, most people mess this up by using regular coffee or whatever’s left over from the morning pot. That’s not going to work. Cold brew is what makes these drinks actually good instead of just weird.
Here’s what I figured out after making some truly awful attempts with leftover drip coffee: cold brew doesn’t have that sharp, acidic bite that makes regular coffee taste horrible when you add alcohol to it. It’s smoother, almost sweet on its own, and way more concentrated.
Regular coffee gets all sour and weak when you start adding ice and spirits. Cold brew? It holds its own. Plus there’s more caffeine, so you get a little energy boost with your drink. Not bad for a Friday evening when you want to stay awake but also want a cocktail.
The chemistry stuff is pretty simple – cold brewing pulls out different compounds than hot brewing does. You get the good flavors and caffeine without the harsh acids that clash with spirits.
Start with decent cold brew. Don’t use that watery stuff from the gas station. Make your own or buy something that actually tastes like coffee when you drink it straight.
Go easy at first. Coffee flavor is strong. You can always add more but you can’t take it back once it’s in there.
Think about temperature. Most of these work best cold, but ice waters things down. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it isn’t.
Don’t skip the garnish. A good orange peel or cinnamon stick makes these drinks smell as good as they taste.
This puts a coffee twist on the most classic of cocktails, and it works surprisingly well.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bourbon whiskey | 2 oz | Use a good mid-range bourbon |
| Cold brew concentrate | ½ oz | Strong cold brew, not diluted |
| Simple syrup | ¼ oz | Adjust to taste |
| Orange peel | 1 piece | For garnish and oils |
Stir everything except the orange peel over ice, strain into a rocks glass with one big ice cube. Express the orange oils over the drink and drop the peel in. The coffee adds this deep, rich note without covering up the whiskey.
Way better than the original, honestly.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vodka | 1½ oz | Premium vodka recommended |
| Coffee liqueur | 1 oz | Kahlúa or similar |
| Cold brew coffee | 1 oz | Replaces some of the liqueur |
| Heavy cream | 1 oz | Float on top |
| Vanilla extract | 2-3 drops | Pure vanilla only |
Build it in a rocks glass over ice, float the cream on top. The cold brew gives you real coffee flavor instead of that artificial stuff you get from cheap liqueurs.
This bridges the gap between Irish coffee and classic cocktails perfectly.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Irish whiskey | 2 oz | Jameson or similar |
| Cold brew coffee | ¾ oz | Strong concentrate |
| Brown sugar syrup | ¼ oz | Make with brown sugar |
| Heavy cream | ½ oz | Lightly whipped |
Stir the whiskey, coffee, and syrup over ice, strain into a rocks glass, float the cream on top. Much more sophisticated than regular Irish coffee.
This improves on the classic espresso martini by using cold brew instead of hot espresso.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vodka | 2 oz | Premium vodka |
| Coffee liqueur | ½ oz | Kahlúa or crème de café |
| Cold brew concentrate | 1 oz | Very strong |
| Simple syrup | ¼ oz | Optional, adjust to taste |
Shake hard with ice, strain into a chilled martini glass. The cold brew makes better foam than hot espresso and doesn’t water down your drink.
A coffee twist on the Moscow Mule that’s become one of my favorites.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Silver tequila | 2 oz | 100% agave |
| Cold brew coffee | 1 oz | Medium strength |
| Lime juice | ½ oz | Fresh squeezed |
| Cinnamon simple syrup | ½ oz | Infuse syrup with cinnamon |
| Ginger beer | 4 oz | Good quality brand |
Build in a copper mug over ice, stir gently, garnish with lime and a cinnamon stick. The coffee and spices work perfectly with tequila.
Perfect for entertaining – scales up easily and tastes sophisticated.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | 1½ oz | Good quality |
| Cold brew coffee | 2 oz | Not too strong |
| Orange juice | 1 oz | Fresh squeezed |
| Maple syrup | ¼ oz | Real maple syrup |
| Club soda | 2 oz | Top with |
Shake everything except the club soda with ice, strain into a punch cup over ice, top with soda. Garnish with orange peel and coffee beans.
I know, I know. This sounds completely wrong. But it works.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gin | 1 oz | London Dry style |
| Sweet vermouth | 1 oz | Good quality |
| Campari | 1 oz | Classic bitter |
| Cold brew concentrate | ½ oz | Strong and dark |
Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass over one big cube, garnish with orange peel. The coffee adds another layer of bitterness that somehow makes sense with the Campari.
A sophisticated riff on the classic Manhattan.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rye whiskey | 2 oz | 100-proof preferred |
| Sweet vermouth | ¾ oz | Quality matters here |
| Cold brew concentrate | ¼ oz | Just a touch |
| Angostura bitters | 2 dashes | Classic choice |
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry stuffed with a coffee bean if you’re feeling fancy. The coffee should just enhance the whiskey, not take over.
A tropical take that’s perfect for warm weather entertaining.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| White rum | 1½ oz | Light, clean rum |
| Coconut cream | 1 oz | Real coconut cream |
| Cold brew coffee | 2 oz | Medium strength |
| Simple syrup | ¼ oz | To taste |
Shake with ice, strain into a hurricane glass over crushed ice. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes and coffee beans. Like a grown-up piña colada with caffeine.
A New Orleans classic gets a coffee twist.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rye whiskey | 2 oz | High-proof preferred |
| Cold brew concentrate | ¼ oz | Very strong |
| Demerara syrup | ¼ oz | Raw sugar syrup |
| Peychaud’s bitters | 3 dashes | Essential for Sazerac |
| Absinthe | Rinse | For glass coating |
Rinse the rocks glass with absinthe, stir everything else with ice, strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with lemon peel. The coffee adds complexity without messing with the classic profile.
Since this is the foundation of everything, you might as well do it right. For cocktails, you want concentrate that’s strong enough to survive getting mixed with ice and spirits.
Use about 1 part coarsely ground coffee to 4 parts room temperature water. Let it sit in the fridge for 12-18 hours, then strain it through a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Should come out strong, smooth, and naturally sweet.
Keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. For cocktails, use this concentrate straight – don’t dilute it first.
Most of these scale up pretty well if you’re having people over. The punch and cooler are especially good for crowds. Make your cold brew concentrate ahead of time, prep your syrups, and you can make impressive drinks without much fuss.
For bigger parties, set up a station with base spirits, cold brew concentrate, simple syrup, and basic garnishes. Let people experiment.
These aren’t just trendy drinks that’ll be gone next year. They’re actually good cocktails that happen to have coffee in them. The trick is treating the coffee like a real ingredient instead of just something you dump in for novelty.
Start with good cold brew, don’t go overboard with the coffee flavor, and don’t be afraid to try your own combinations. These ten will get you started, but the real fun is figuring out what works with your favorite spirits.
Whether you’re entertaining or just want to upgrade your evening coffee situation, these prove that coffee and alcohol can actually make each other better instead of just weirder.
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