Cocktails don’t have to be boozy (OK, technically cocktails do, but we’re living in the exciting time of mocktails). Cocktails are catching on with coffee roasters, and while they do often mix in the booze, non-alcoholic mixtures can be a tasty treat on a rough Monday morning.
We chatted with several roasters from across the country to get their favorite non-alcoholic coffee cocktails. We also added one boozy Irish coffee recipe because St. Patrick’s Day is already right around the corner.
La Colombe Coffee Shandy
La Colombe’s canned Draft Lattes can be found across the country and are a convenient and tasty sip on their own. The company, however, likes to experiment with recipes and often posts cocktails to its own blog. A simple recipe is to pull out a Black and Tan with La Colombe Pure Black and Draft Latte. They get a little frisky sometimes, too, like with this first one — a cold brew lemonade shandy. “Don’t knock it ’til you try it,” they warn. It’s simple too!
- .5 can Pure Black La Colombe Coffee
- .5 cup lemonade
Method: Pour into glass with ice, mi, and serve.
Ferris Coffee & Nut
Ferris Coffee & Nut has roasted coffee for more than a century and supplies plenty of breweries with coffee, so we know they like alcohol. The company’s cafes in Michigan play with coffee drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails pretty regularly and they use crazy ingredients, like Coca-Cola, tart cherry juice, green apple, and red grape juice.
- 1 shot espresso
- 2 oz red grape juice
- 2 oz tonic water
- 1 small bar of dark chocolate
Method: Pull shot of espresso and add to a chocolate square in cocktail shaker along with grape juice. Shake. Strain into rocks or coupe and top off with tonic water. Garnish with speared grape.
Starbucks Orange Coffee Tonic
Starbucks is a worldwide powerhouse when it comes to quick coffee and sugar-filled espresso drinks, but the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in New York City is upping the coffee cocktail game. The company’s Arriviamo Bar menu was conceived by mixologist Julia Momose, who helped create a menu of cocktails and “spirit-frees” made with coffee and tea.
While they’re experimenting like mad, Starbucks wasn’t sharing the specific measurements of their cocktails. They shared the ingredients and they’re certainly a fun selection, so experiment and use that cocktail mixing brain. (If you need a recipe, we added what we believe would be good amounts below.)
- 3.5 oz Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic
- 2.5 oz Starbucks Reserve Cold Brew
- 1 oz Teavana Ayurvedic Chai
- .75 oz lemon-orange cordial
Method: Starbucks was able to list ingredients but didn’t give exact instructions, so go wild! If you’re following our instructions, combine cold brew chai, and cordial with ice and shake. Strain into a glass with ice and top with tonic.
Irish Coffee
As we approach St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 — a great day to whip out Irish whiskeys and stouts — a coffee cocktail list wouldn’t be complete without a simple Irish coffee. “The Irish Coffee is a perfectly balanced drink,” said Tim Herlihy, national ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W. “This hot, sweetened and spiked cocktail is topped with a layer of chilled, rich, velvety cream which the piping hot coffee punches through for a blend of flavors, temperature, and textures — the perfect winter warmer. Tullamore D.E.W.’s blend of Irish whiskey grain for sweetness, malt for fruit notes, and pot still for added spice and creamy mouthfeel means it’s a perfect whiskey for an Irish coffee.”
- 1.5 parts Tullamore D.E.W.
- 1.5 parts strongly brewed coffee
- .5 part sugar
- Lightly whipped heavy cream
- Cinnamon or nutmeg
Method: Preheat a clear-stemmed glass with very hot water. Add the sugar and brewed coffee and stir well. Once the sugar has melted, stir in the Irish whiskey. Gently whip the heavy cream by shaking it in a protein shaker with a blender ball – you want a still somewhat loose, not stiff consistency. Pour the cream over the back of a hot teaspoon to top the drink (and prevent cream from penetrating the top of the drink). Finally, garnish with grated nutmeg or cinnamon for spicy finish.
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