6 Buzz-Worthy Coffee Cocktail Recipes That Are So Simple to Make
6 Buzz-Worthy Coffee Cocktail Recipes That Are So Simple to Make
Channel your inner barista and bartender with one of these delicious drinks that are sure to wake up your happy hour.
If you're someone who craves coffee all day long, you're not alone. I can barely get my slippers on without a piping-hot mug of pour-over—and once I start, I'm often sipping some form of coffee until I move on to wine in the evening. Whether it's cold brew, a cappuccino, or a dirty chai latté, I've come to consider coffee my elixir of life.
Recently, I've realized there's a way to keep the buzz alive all evening long: By swapping my glass of vino with an espresso-spiked cocktail. Coffee and booze are a match made in heaven, seriously—the perfect blend of caffeinated warmth plus spirited spice to power you through the holiday season. Whether you want to spruce up your wintery brunch with a cool mug of Irish iced coffee, cozy up with a classic coffee Old Fashioned, or end the day with a smooth espresso martini, there's something here to quell your craving. And remember: If you're sensitive to caffeine later in the day, just swap in decaf. (We'd never judge.)
Espresso Martini
This cooling cocktail combines just three easy ingredients: espresso, coffee liquor, and simple syrup. Freshly brewed espresso is best here—just make sure you give it time to cool off in the refrigerator so that it doesn’t melt all your ice. BTW, it’s very easy to adjust the sweetness of this cocktail by varying the amount of simple syrup—we recommend starting light and increasing to suit your palate, or even leaving it out entirely for a more bitter cocktail.
Coffee Old Fashioned
You can always turn to an Old Fashioned when you're in the mood for something simple, subtle, and not excessively sweet. After all, the Old Fashioned is nothing more than three ingredients (sugar, bitters, and liquor) in perfect harmony, which makes it a great contender for recipe variations. This twist on the classic is framed with strong coffee, and is served traditionally over a perfect cube of ice.
Boozy Cold Brew Slushie
Cold brew coffee fans will love this boozy, blended rendition of their favorite form of caffeine. We like to think of it as a milkshake for adults. Love chocolate? Add some syrup. No whole milk on hand? Swap in soy, oat, or heavy cream (yum).
Irish Iced Coffee
One of the classics and most necessary coffee cocktails is, of course, Irish coffee. Here, we put chilled spin on the delicious drink by serving it over ice. To avoid sipping on a watered-down bevvie by the end of brunch, serve it over coffee ice cubes.
Coffee Bourbon Slushie
Coffee, milk, bourbon, and sweetened condensed milk—what else do you need in life? To make this frozen cocktail, you'll whirl all the ingredients with a mountain of ice cubes in the blender to nail that perfectly velvety slushie consistency.
White Russian
Every home bartender should have a recipe for this old-school classic under his or her belt. The White Russian is creamy, coffee-scented, and incredibly easy to make, after all. Feel free to zhuzh it as much (or as little) as you like: Try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, or (dare we say it) pumpkin spice to dial up the flavor.
