Classic Coffee Cocktails

Double the Buzz, Double the Fun

By Darien Davies

*Trying to get anyone to agree on recipes and origins is impossible.

We all know the benefits of cocktails. They make events more fun, good ideas great, and bad ideas happen faster. Happy Hour isn’t called Sad Hour for a reason. Just like how champagne is the celebratory drink of choice, if you have an important meeting and coffee isn’t hitting it, try an espresso martini instead. Kidding. (Or am I?)

Caffeine and cocktails go together just like… well, every classic combo that just makes sense. Burgers and beer, football and yelling, bars and bartenders. Name a Saturday night or a Sunday morning that a high-octane cocktail doesn’t complement. You can’t! It’s literally impossible.

If you are missing the caffeinated-cocktails boat or would like a few at-home recipes to have up your sleeve, read on, my thirsty Patriots of Perk. Not only are the following cocktails easy to make, you’ll find they’re also easy to drink (duh) and easy to put on your recipe-repeat list.

The pro tips are brought to you by none other than a caffeinated cocktail connoisseur herself, Annie Blake, EVP of sales of Cocktail Kingdom, who knows a thing or 20 about crafting the perfect cocktail.

Espresso Martini

If you’ve grown up from the average vodka and Red Bull scene and are wanting the next best, and more refined, option, the espresso martini is calling your name. Invented in the 1980s by a bartender who was requested by a patron to make a drink that would both wake him up and get him drunk, the espresso martini has grown in popularity ever since. And it’s easy to see why. Vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur come together in an electrified symphony of both delicious form and function.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces vodka

1 ounce coffee liqueur (such as Kahlúa)

½ ounce of maple syrup 1 ounce freshly brewed espresso, chilled

Ice cubes

Instructions

1. Brew a shot of espresso and let it cool down.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
3. Pour the vodka, coffee liqueur, maple syrup, and espresso into the shaker.
4. Shake the mixture vigorously for about 15-20 seconds until well-chilled.
5. Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass.
6. Serve and enjoy.

Annie’s Pro Tip: You can use Licor 43 or Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur to replace Kahlúa, but you should never use Baileys Irish Cream.

Carajillo

The carajillo name, which is loosely translated as “liquid courage,” was adopted when Cuba was a Spanish province. Spanish troops would often drink this blend of coffee and liquor for a boost of coraje, or courage, before going into battle. While it is described as a perfect after-dinner drink, it can also be enjoyed in the morning because, well, why not, amirite?

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces Licor 43

4 ounces freshly brewed espresso

Instructions

1. Pull a shot of espresso.
2. Fill a rocks glass with ice.
3. Pour the Licor 43 over the ice, followed by slowly pouring the espresso on top.
4. Stir and serve with a cocktail stirrer.

Annie’s Pro Tip: Add a little good dark rum, like Plantation Original Dark.

Irish Coffee

If the Irish are experts about anything, it’s definitely how to succeed at drinking. After all, you can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning. If champagne doesn’t get your engines running, then Irish coffee certainly will. Much like our other cocktails, it was designed out of need. Irish coffee was created in the winter of 1942 by Joe Sheridan, a chef at Foynes Port near Limerick, Ireland. This airport was a hub for transatlantic flights, used as a stop for, most often, famous passengers. The Chef created this drink after a flight had to return to the airport due to a particularly rough storm, with the goal to warm them up and console their defeated spirits. All hail Chef Joe!

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces Irish whiskey

1 tablespoon brown sugar (adjust to taste)

6 ounces hot brewed coffee

Heavy cream, lightly whipped

Ground cinnamon or nutmeg, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat a heatproof glass or mug by filling it with hot water, then discarding the water before making the drink.
2. Brew a fresh pot of coffee.
3. Add the brown sugar to the empty preheated glass or mug.
4. Pour the hot coffee into the glass and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add the Irish whiskey and stir to combine.
6. Gently float the lightly whipped heavy cream on top by pouring it over the back of a spoon held just above the surface of the coffee. This creates the classic layered effect.
7. Optionally, garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or nutmeg on top.
8. Serve and enjoy.

Annie’s Pro Tip: This cocktail can be made cold, too. Also, use whatever kind of whiskey you like, or try with bourbon if you’re a bourbon drinker.

White Russian

Shocker alert, this is not a drink that originated in Russia. A bartender in Brussels in 1949 created the Black Russian (no cream) — with cream being added in the ‘50s — for the then U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. The only aspect of this drink that is Russian is that it has vodka in it. Hey, no complaints here. While it might not be your go-to drink for Sunday Funday, it definitely has an oddly delicious aspect to it, much like rum and eggnog during the holidays. Bottom’s up, to your health!

Ingredients

2 ounces vodka

1 ounce Kahlúa

1 ounce heavy cream

Instructions

1. Fill an old-fashioned glass (or rocks glass) with ice cubes.

2. Pour the vodka and Kahlúa over the ice in the glass and stir.

3. Gently pour the heavy cream over the back of a spoon held just above the surface of the drink. This helps the cream float on top of the drink.

4. Serve and enjoy.

Annie’s Pro Tip: Take heavy cream in two shaking tins, shake aggressively for 30-45 seconds, then pour on top so it’s nice and foamy rather than pouring it over the spoon.

So, there you have it. Now you have no excuse to be tired at work (wink), weary of a difficult journey ahead, or freezing on a cold Florida evening (as you turn your thermostat to 60 degrees). All of these drinks have withstood the test of time and are still around to give you a delightful and delicious kick to the mouth.