The best coffee cocktail recipes: Our top picks

Hats off to the genius who first mixed caffeine with alcohol. The combination often works wonders, easing the bitterness of coffee until it becomes a well-integrated and enjoyable cocktail.

Better, coffee cocktails are great year-round. And because there are various options, from standard joe to coffee liqueurs and coffee beers, there’s room for all kinds of experimentation. That’s not to say everything just magically blends well with java. Because coffee is built around a backbone of earthy, roasted, often nutty notes, you can’t just go throwing pink wine or any old infused vodka at the stuff. Think complementary notes, like coconut, chocolate, toffee, and more.

Here are some outstanding coffee cocktails to try.

Bossk’s Banana Blaster

This cocktail uses bananas, an underused ingredient when it comes to mixology. The result is a decidedly tropical drink with a kick of caffeine.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ounce dark creme de cacao
• 1/2 ounce Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
• 3/4 ounce The Perfect Puree Banana Puree, thawed
• 3 ounces coffee
• Whipped cream
• Yellow sprinkles and a banana chip for garnish

Method:

1. Add all ingredients in a coffee cup.
2. Garnish with whipped cream, yellow sprinkles, and a banana chip.

Three-Card Monte

A classy coffee cocktail indeed, the three-card monte benefits from the eucalyptus, citrus, and vanilla bean notes of one of Italy’s most famous amaro options.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Mr. Black Cold Brew Liqueur
• 1 ounce brandy
• 1 ounce Amaro Montenegro
• Chartreuse or genepy rinse
• Orange peel for garnish

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients in a mixer glass.
2. Stir and strain into a coupe glass.
3. Garnish with orange peel.

White Russian

Sure, you can go the way of Lebowski and mix up a mediocre White Russian with the expected ingredients, but we prefer something a bit classier, like this riff on the classic cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces Absolut Elyx Vodka
• 1 ounce Caffe Lolita Coffee Liqueur
• 1 ounce half-and-half
• 3 coffee beans for garnish

Method:

1. Combine the vodka and liqueur in a glass and fill it with ice cubes, stirring briefly.
2. Layer half-and-half on top and garnish with the coffee beans.

The Double-Shot Martini

Milk works fine with this martini, but we suggest the heft of half-and-half for a little extra richness and to really fuse the tequila and coffee notes.

Ingredients:

• 5 parts Avión Espresso
• 1 part milk or half-and-half
• Espresso beans for garnish

Method:

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.
3. Garnish with 1-3 espresso beans.

Mole y Avión Espresso

Essentially hot chocolate for grown-ups, this easy-to-assemble drink will warm your soul.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Avión Espresso
• 1 ounce premium hot chocolate
• Fresh whipped cream and mint leaf for garnish

Method:

1. Combine ingredients in a heat-safe glass glass and heat.
2. Garnish with fresh whipped cream and a mint leaf.

The Afterhours

Sometimes, you just want a few sips of something to cap a meal or an evening with friends, especially if it packs the kind of punch that tequila and espresso do.

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Avión Anejo
• 1 part Avión Espresso

Method:

1. Pour ingredients into a rocks glass over ice and stir.

Paradise Stout

The right kind of sherry can blend beautifully with coffee, as is the case with this layered cocktail.

• 3 ounces coffee stout
• 1 ounce Jamaican rum
• 1 ounce Pedro Ximénez sherry
• 2 dashes of chocolate bitters
• 1 whole egg
• Grated nutmeg for garnish

Method:

1. Add all ingredients except the stout to a cocktail shaker without ice.
2. Dry shake to mix, and then add ice to the shaker.
3. Hard shake the iced mixture, and strain into a snifter.
4. Top with nitro stout.
5. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

Nitro Coffee Float

An excellent evening sipper, this dessert-in-a-glass blends all the great things — beer, amaro, and coffee.

• 4-6 ounces Nitro coffee stout
• 3/4 ounce Frangelico
• 3/4 ounce Braulio (or favorite amaro)
• 1 ounce cold brew coffee
• Ice cream and condiments

Method:

1. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake and strain into pilsner glass.
3. Top 3/4 of the way with nitro coffee stout.
4. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
5. Garnish with crushed hazelnuts and/or whipped cream, sprinkles, cherry, and chocolate.

Turbo Prop

This coffee cocktail gets a kiss on the cheek from the Mediterranean thanks to the addition of Aperol, along with some added floral notes via rose water.

• 1 ounce Mr. Black Cold Brew Liqueur
• 1 ounce bourbon
• 1 ounce Aperol
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 dash rose water

Method:

1. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake and strain into a coupe glass.
3. Garnish with lemon zest.

Coffee Martini

What could be better than a classic martini mixed with the deep, rich flavors of coffee? This take on the martini is made with vodka and coffee liqueur, and it has a slight sweetness thanks to the addition of simple syrup. It’s a drink that’s perfect any time of day.

(Recipe from Liquor.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
• 1 ounce freshly brewed espresso (you can also use cold brew concentrate)
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• Coffee beans for garnish

Method:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Add the vodka, espresso (or cold brew concentrate), and shake it until it’s well chilled.
3. Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with the coffee beans.