Calling All Coffee (And Alcohol) Lovers!
Here’s one way to keep drinking your beloved morning beverage in the evenings too: make coffee cocktails! Coffee isn't only our favourite source of caffeine; it is also a beverage rich in aromas and essential oils that go perfectly with a wide range of spirits and liqueurs.
And if you think that these divine concoctions can only be enjoyed during the summer, think again. Because in this post, we showcase the 3 most popular coffee-based cocktails that are perfect for colder weather, along with their recipes.
Prepare them in the comfort of your own home when it just feels too cold to go outside. Start by taking out your favourite coffee machine, and treat yourself to the adult equivalent of a cozy wool blanket.
Espresso Martini: A Coffee Flavour Bomb
A quintessential coffee cocktail, this one is an ideal pick-me-up on a drizzly Fall afternoon or an after dinner drink…it can even double as a dessert! Bittersweet coffee pairs perfectly with the rich sweetness of coffee liqueur. Add vodka, and the trio makes a full-flavoured sophisticated drink that tastes like much more than the sum of its parts. It’s cool, frothy, and just sweet enough. A word of caution: they go down a little too easy.
A brief history
Born as Vodka Espresso, the Espresso Martini is a cocktail with coffee liqueur that represents a variant of the Vodka Martini, invented in 1983. It is said that a bartender at the Soho Brasserie in London named Dick Bradsell, created the drink for a client who asked for something to wake him up. Apparently, the coffee machine was right next to the cocktail station and so, from Dick's improvisation, the Espresso Martini was born.
Today's name came later, in the 90s, when flavoured martinis were all the rage, and any vodka-based drink served in the classic "V" glass was called a martini.
The original version featured two types of coffee liqueur (Kahlua and Tia Maria) and simple syrup. Here, we offer you a simpler, less sweet version, but not less “warming”.
Ingredients
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) vodka
¾ ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) Kahlua or coffee liqueur
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) warm espresso or strong coffee
Coffee beans, to garnish
Preparation
To prepare an Espresso Martini, the longest part is actually making the coffee. No need to wait for it to cool down, though. Just wait a few minutes after brewing, and add it to the rest of the ingredients.
Here's how to prepare an Espresso Martini:
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Prepare the coffee. Make an espresso to your taste, preferably a short one. Or, you can opt for another method that guarantees you a strong coffee (try the Aeropress).
- Pour the Kahlua, vodka and hot coffee into a shaker, add some ice and shake.
- Take a classic martini glass and pour the drink while straining it. Garnish with 3 coffee beans. Enjoy.
Irish Coffee: A Comforting Hot Coffee Cocktail
Irish Coffee is a sweet temptation no one can resist. Hot coffee and whiskey, covered by a soft layer of cream, together they create one of the most popular cold weather cocktails. Imagine holding it in your hands during a freezing night, while curling up under the blanket with a book or the remote control.
A brief history
Irish Coffee is a hot coffee cocktail created in the winter of 1943 by Joe Sheridan, a chef from the port of Foynes near Limerick, Ireland. Foynes at the time was an air base for transatlantic flights that often carried political figures and Hollywood stars. One evening, a flight had to turn back due to bad weather. The chef, feeling sorry for the tired and cold passengers, decided to prepare something warm and regenerating. The story claims that in the silence that fell while everyone was enjoying their drink, a passenger exclaimed: "Hey Buddy, is this Brazilian coffee?". "No," Joe replied, "that's Irish Coffee".
Ingredients
6 oz hot coffee
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ ounces your favourite brand of Irish whiskey
Sweetened whipped cream, whipped to soft peaks
Preparation
To make an Irish Coffee that warms you up from the inside and out, you'll need to take care of the coffee first. Choose your favourite specialty coffee, find out which one goes best with the whiskey, and use your preferred brewing method.
Here's how:
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Prepare your specialty coffee. Both stovetop espresso maker (moka) and French Press are perfect for this purpose.
- Pour the coffee into a warmed Irish Coffee glass, add the whiskey and a teaspoon of sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Lightly whip the cream and add a layer to the top of the drink. The cream should float on the liquid, don't mix.
White Russian: (Not) From Russia With Love
Here’s a drink that takes just 2 minutes to make and hits the spot in any season: the White Russian. This cocktail mixes vodka with coffee liqueur and fresh cream, resulting in a decadently creamy and velvety sweet beverage. Perhaps you know it from the 1990’s movie The Big Lebowski, but this drink has actually been around since the 1950’s. On colder days, it is a real cure-all, and it couldn't be easier to prepare at home.
A brief history
The White Russian is a cocktail made with vodka and coffee liqueur topped with heavy cream. It's a variation on the Black Russian, which consists simply of coffee liqueur and vodka. The Black Russian dates back to 1949, when Gustave Tops, a bartender at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels, concocted it for the American ambassador to Luxembourg. The name, therefore, is not derived from a Russian origin, but simply from the use of vodka. The addition of heavy cream began somewhere in the 1960s. It gives the cocktail a creamy sensation in the mouth and vaguely reminiscent of a latte. Sounds like the perfect drink to warm up, right?
In this version, we propose replacing the classic Kahlua with coffee made with your favourite cold-brew coffee maker.
Ingredients
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) vodka
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) heavy cream
Ice, for serving
Preparation
The White Russian recipe is very simple. Add the vodka and your cold-brew to a low cocktail glass or a clear double-walled mug. Fill it with ice, mix and add fresh cream or whole milk if you prefer.
Did you like our choice of drinks? Try them at home and let us know which coffee-based cocktail for colder weather you liked best.
