A coffee cocktail is a coffee-based drink that contains a variety of ingredients (milk, eggs, syrups, alcoholic beverages, spices, etc.).

There is no generally accepted classification of coffee cocktails, therefore, like cocktails based on other drinks, coffee cocktails are conventionally divided იnto alcoholic and non-alcoholic. However, this is only one of the classification methods, others are also possible – for example, according to the method of preparing the cocktail, according to ingredients, etc.

One of the most popular iced coffee cocktails is the coffee frappe. Traditionally, frappe coffee should include a double espresso, which is prepared from 50-60 ml of water and 14 g of finely ground coffee, as well as 3-5 ice cubes and 100 ml of milk. According to some sources, it is better to use chilled espresso for making frappe, but practice shows that this drink is much tastier if you take fresh espresso, just made in a coffee machine.

Coffee cocktails with alcohol are traditionally present on the menu of most cafes along with various types of coffee. The most famous and popular of them include Irish coffee (coffee with whiskey), Swiss coffee, Amaretto coffee (with the eponymous liqueur), and Viennese cocktail (coffee with sambuca and zest).

Individual Recipes of Our Top Choices

Even if you are not a special coffee lover, we strongly advise you not to completely abandon this drink for the rest of your life. Coffee is not only a hot drink in our usual sense, it is also a wide variety of cocktails, where it is the main ingredient. We offer you a selection of coffee-based cocktails, which you can easily prepare yourself at home.

The Insomniac

As you may have guessed from the name, the Insomniac is the perfect drink for those who have a busy day or a sleepless night ahead. Students, tourists, and party-goers will definitely appreciate this strong drink from Arab countries.

Here are the ingredients for this coffee:

• Ground coffee – 4 teaspoons with a slide
• Water – 130 ml
• Brown sugar or honey. If desired, syrup with your favorite flavor.

Preparation looks something like the following:

1. Warm up a pot and put 2 tablespoons of coffee in it. Fill with water and put the pot on low heat.
2. When the foam rises, remove the pot from the heat and transfer the foam to a heated cup. Stir the coffee itself and pour it through a sieve into another cup.
3. Without rinsing the pot, add coffee by pouring 2 tablespoons of coffee with the previously strained drink.
4. Cook until frothy.
5. When the coffee boils, pour it into a frothy cup.
6. If you add sugar or honey, then do it while cooking.
7. Serve coffee with candied fruits and nuts.

The Cold Fashioned

The Cold Fashioned cocktail is one of the most famous in the world. It’s nice to sip at parties. And if the end of the party is still far away, adding espresso to the classic drink seems like a very good thing!

Here is the list of ingredients you are going to need:

• 1 espresso (60 ml)
• 50 ml bourbon
• 10 ml simple sugar syrup
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• coarse and crushed orange ice
• zest for decoration

Then, simply follow this step by step guide for preparing the cold fashioned:

• Chill your old fashion whiskey glass in advance. Place a large piece of ice in a glass. Fill a shaker halfway with crushed ice.
• Pour espresso, bourbon, syrup, and Angostura into a shaker, cover, beat for 10-15 sec.
• Strain the cocktail on ice into a glass, garnish with orange zest and serve.

Bonaparte Cocktail

The Bonaparte cocktail is a relatively new drink that was created in 2014 but has become very popular in a short period of time. The Bonaparte cocktail is mostly served in a Collins glass.

The list of ingredients include:

• Thomas Henry Soda Water or any other – 3 shots
• Espresso coffee (freshly brewed and hot) – 1 shot
• Liqueur Mandarine Napoleon – 1.5 shots
• Orange – 1 slice
• Ice

Recipe:

• Fill a Collins glass with ice.
• Pour chilled soda water on top.
• Add freshly brewed hot espresso.
• Add Mandarine Napoleon liqueur on top, which, seeping through the coffee, forms a delicious liqueur-coffee foam on top.
• Decorate the Bonaparte cocktail with a slice of orange.

Prospero Alpini

Prospero Alpini was the botanist who actually brought coffee beans to Europe in the 1500s and contributed a lot to the population of this drink. In order to prepare Prospero Alpini you will need the following ingredients:

• One ounce Mr. Black’s Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur;
• Point five-ounce house-made simple syrup;
• One point five ounce Italian Averna Amaro;
• Point five-ounce Carpano Antica sweet vermouth;
• One ounce Lavazza espresso;
• You can also add citrus in the end.

This is my favorite cocktail since to prepare it, you do not need a coffee machine or an additional device. You can mix these ingredients together, but make sure to choose the proper ones so your cup tastes good.

The Espresso Martini

Espresso Martini is one of the most popular cocktails. It has a pleasant mild taste and invigorates well.

Before you start preparing it, make sure you have:

• vodka – 50 ml;
• coffee liqueur (Kahlua) – 10 ml;
• espresso coffee – 30 ml (one serving);
• sugar syrup (water and sugar in equal proportions) – to taste.

It is important to keep in mind that vodka should be neutral – without any aromatic additives. Attempts to replace real espresso with regular custard and instant coffee will not be crowned with success – the taste of the cocktail will be much worse.

Espresso Martini cocktail recipe looks something like this:

1. Make a shot of espresso.
2. Fill a shaker with ice. Add coffee (hot), liqueur, vodka, and syrup (optional). Shake until the shaker fogs up.
3. Pour the finished cocktail through a strainer into a martini glass.
4. Decorate the drink with three coffee beans to form a flower. Drink in leisurely sips.

Since an actual shot of Espresso is used in the cocktail, using Ecuador coffee beans for an amazing brew is suggested.

White Russian

White Russian is the Dude’s favorite drink from Big Lebowski. Thanks to the film, the cocktail gained a lot of popularity. This recipe is one of the White Russian cocktail options, invented by Gustave Tops. In order to prepare it, make sure you have:

• Vodka – 45 ml
• Coffee liqueur – 25 ml
• Cream – 40 ml
• Sugar syrup – 3 ml
• Cocoa – 2 g

Cooking instruction is pretty easy. Simply just:

1. Mix vodka and liqueur in a glass with ice to cool. Whisk the cream and sugar syrup in a shaker.
2. Pour vodka with liqueur into a glass without ice. Add whipped cream. Sprinkle with cocoa.

Dominicana

For the recipe of Dominicana you will need:

• coffee (strong, cold) – 1 cup
• pineapple juice – 1 glass
• ice cream – 1 scoop
• pineapple – 1 slice.
• Coffee liquor

To make Dominican coffee you need to mix a cup of cold, strong coffee with half a glass of pineapple juice. Pour this mixture into a scoop of popsicles in a glass. Garnish with canned or fresh pineapple slices. Serve with a long-handled straw or cocktail spoon.

Pharmaceutical Stimulant

As the name already suggests itself, Pharmaceutical Stimulant is an extraordinary coffee cocktail that has a lot of followers, and basically, its taste is pretty smooth. In order to prepare the coffee it is necessary to have the following ingredients alongside to get the most and receive the best product:

• Vodka;
• Coffee liquor;
• Sugar syrup;
• Espresso coffee.

The coffee preparation process will draw many similarities with an espresso martini, but in essence, both of these coffee types are different.

The Flying Frenchman

Do you want to slay your friends on the spot, literally and figuratively? Then you need the Flying Frenchman! This cocktail is similar to an espresso martini, but with absinthe instead of vodka. To describe this cocktail in three words, it is velvety, sweet, and powerful. But its sweetness is deceiving. The Flying Frenchman is an extremely delicious drink that attracts a lot of coffee lovers but you need to be careful.

Here are the ingredients you will need to get the coffee ready:

• 30 ml. absinthe
• 30 ml. coffee liqueur
• 30 ml. chilled espresso
• 15 ml. chocolate liqueur

As for the recipe, you can have a look below:

1. Add all ingredients with ice to a shaker and shake until cooled.
2. Strain into a small chilled martini glass and garnish with an anise star.

Coffee Negroni

The Coffee Negroni cocktail is an alternative to another classic, the Negroni cocktail. Both cocktails are united by the presence of red vermouth in the composition and the method of preparation (all ingredients are mixed not in a shaker, but with a special bar spoon). Negroni with coffee liqueur can be prepared as an aperitif before dinner.

Here are the following ingredients you will need for preparing the coffee.

• Vermouth Cocchi Dopo Teatro – 30 ml
• Red vermouth – 30 ml
• Coffee liqueur – 30 ml
• Orange peel – 1 pc

Find out more on how to prepare the coffee in the step-by-step guide below.

1. Pour ice into a mixing glass.
2. Pour in all the ingredients.
3. Using a bar spoon, mix the ingredients in a circular motion.
4. Pour into a cocktail glass on coarse ice and garnish with a strip of orange zest.

Frequently Asked Questions on Coffee Cocktails