The best coffee cocktails (that aren’t espresso martinis…)
Looking for cocktails with a kick? We spill the beans on the best caffeinated concoctions you should be shaking up
Words: Jonathan Wells
The chances are that your daily routine is fuelled by coffee. This black gold charges our daily lives; from the Monday morning commute to the hastily-grabbed cup before a midweek meeting. And, by Friday, you’ll likely be consuming so much Starbucks that you may as well be hooked up to a drip of the stuff. Working weeks are long — so thank god we’ve got these roasted, ground, sent-from-heaven cups of goodness to see us through.
But, by the time you punch out on Friday night, ready to forget about work for a blissful 48 hours, you’ll likely be ready for a rest. A night out in a bar with your friends may have appealed when you made plans earlier in the week, but now you’re just too exhausted to even think about it. But don’t throw in the towel and make a beeline for your bed just yet! Instead, reach out to your old friend coffee — who can be as fun on a Friday night as he is helpful on a Monday morning.
We’ve rounded up the best coffee-based cocktails to give your night out the kick it so desperately needs, with recipes from coffee roasters and spirit brands alike. So, if you’re feeling jaded — and have somehow grown tired of the over-poured, colossally caffeinated espresso martini — these are the most exciting and energising coffee cocktails you should be shaking…
The Coffee Negroni is a twist on the traditional
The Negroni, a bright, sprightly cocktail famous for giving a sun-soaked afternoon pick-me-up, has itself been shaken up by Caravan Coffee Roasters thanks to the addition of their delicious single origin Columbian coffee syrup. Citrus-forward London dry style gin and Campari Italian bitter are blended in equal measure with a kick of coffee to produce a remarkably rounded and clean flavoured cocktail.
How to make it or shake it: First up, make yourself a simple coffee syrup by stirring 5g of golden caster sugar with 25ml of brewed coffee. Pour into a chilled tumbler, add ice, 25ml of both Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin and Campari, and stir. Garnish with a thin twist of orange peel.
The Caturra Fashioned is a singular, single-origin drink
Caturra, for those of you wondering, is a type of coffee. And a delicious one, at that. It’s a natural hybrid of Bourbon; a rich, heady spin on Arabica and the namesake for Mr Black’s Caturra Fashioned — a deep-coloured, deeper-flavoured take on the classic cocktail.
How to make it or shake it: Take 30ml or Mr Black Single Origin: Colombia and pour it into a mixing glass over ice. Add 20ml Sweet Vermouth, 15ml Dark Rum and stir. When it’s sufficiently chilled, strain into a rocks glass over a large ice block and garnish with a dried fig.
The ‘Revenge is a Drink Best Served Cold’ is a tropical treat
Solo Coffee is perfect for cocktail-making. Founded by former baristas Alex and Theo, who both wanted to make coffee more accessible, the brand’s Solo Coffee Concentrate is the ideal way to add a shot of bean-infused flavour to a blended drink. This exotic number, created with Solo Coffee by @scottishmixology, brings bananas, mango and pineapple into the mix.
How to make it or shake it: Take 20ml of Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, and add to a shaker with 60ml of good rum, 20ml crème de banane and 15ml caramel syrup. Pour in 30ml of pineapple and mango juice and 30ml of Solo coffee concentrate. Shake hard over ice and strain into a tumbler.
The Belvedere Espress is the new espresso martini
Created by vodka giant Belvedere, the Espress is the natural evolution of the espresso martini – an alcoholic energiser designed to be consumed like a Milanese espresso. Mixed by Martin Hudak, the idea is to introduce classic coffee-drinking culture into the world of caffeinated cocktails using a siphon — the hottest new trend in modern mixology.
How to make it or shake it: It’s a tricky one for making at home but, if you’ve got a seltzer bottle on hand, listen up. Throw an espresso, and equal measures of Belvedere Vodka, Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur and simple sugar syrup into your siphon flask and then blast away into a chilled coffee cup.
The Tiramisu Martini is decadence in a glass
I know, we said no Espresso Martinis. But this technically isn’t another done-to-death cocktail, but rather a new and delicious spin on an existing idea. Created by Conker Spirit, whose Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is made using Dorset roasted speciality coffees and distilled British wheat spirit, this introduces a chocolate flavour into the coffee mix. An alternative for those with a sweet tooth, it’s smooth, seductive – and very, very sophisticated.
How to make it or shake it: Throw 35ml of Conker Cold Brew into an ice-filled shaker along with 15ml of vanilla vodka, 15ml of cognac and 25ml of white chocolate syrup. Strain this into a chilled glass, then shake some single cream and float this on top. Finish with cocoa powder and nutmeg.
The Cold Fashioned is cool in name and nature
Is there any possible way to make the Old Fashioned, king of cocktails, any better? Yes, yes there is — just add coffee. Mr Black is one of our favourite new brands on the coffee liqueur scene, and its take on the classic cocktail is simple, effective — and incredibly strong.
How to make it or shake it: Take two measures of Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur. Add to two measures of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye whiskey in an ice-filled shaker and then stir. You could add a dash of orange bitters, or just garnish in a rocks glass over ice with a nice big, fat orange twist.
The Flat White Russian wins the cocktail name game
With a rich, chocolatey taste, London Grind’s coffee was always begging to be turned into a caffeine-fuelled cocktail. Combining Grey Goose vodka, Tia Maria and a slosh of warm, steamed milk, this Flat White Russian pours together two of our favourite ways to enjoy coffee in one interesting, intoxicating cocktail. It also has the best coffee cocktail name we’ve ever seen.
How to shake it or make it: Take a measure of Grey Goose Vodka and mix with two measures of Tia Maria. Add to this one Grind coffee espresso and then mix with steamed milk. Rest for one minute — and enjoy.
Abstaining from caffeine, but still want a drink? Hard seltzer is the healthy drinking trend you need to know about…
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