Coffee and spirits have been perfect partners ever since the 17th century when the original recipe for coffee liqueur was created. It wasn’t until the 1950s that it was finally commercialized, following the popular 1940s invention of Irish Whisky by chef Joe Sheridan who added Irish whiskey and cream to coffee to warm up delayed airline passengers in Foynes, Ireland.
Now that artisan coffee is a part of our daily routine, it just requires a little mixology magic to creatively transform a cold brew, nitro brew, medium roast, or plain ol’ cup of joe into a sublime coffee cocktail.
Coffee liqueurs can be simply served over ice, and are commonly used to perk up hot coffee, pour over ice cream, or whisk into whipped cream for a heavenly sweet. For a cooling sensation, there’s something immensely satisfying about simply spiking an iced coffee with a delicious cream liqueur like Sōmrus Coffee Cream Liqueur which also includes chicory, Wisconsin dairy cream, and quintuple-distilled Caribbean rum.
The “Coffee & Donuts” cocktail is a decadent dessert in a glass, especially when garnished with a donut. Just combine Somrus Coffee Cream Liqueur and your favorite bourbon over ice in a shaker. Shake for 15 seconds and strain into a stemmed glass.
COFFEE & DONUTS
1 ½ parts Somrus Coffee Cream Liqueur
½ part Heritage Distilling brown sugar bourbon
Another irresistible liquid desert is the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, a sophisticated masterpiece to satiate any martini fan. It’s simple to make perfectly, too, thanks to two of Monin‘s many must-have pantry staples: Monin Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate and Monin Salted Caramel Syrup. Simple chill a stemmed coupe, pour four ingredients into a shaker over ice, shake, and strain.
SALTED CARAMEL ESPRESSO MARTINI
1 oz. premium vodka (we tried it with Blood + Sweat + Tears artisanal vodka and loved it)
1 oz. vanilla vodka (our favorite is the classic Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka for true vanilla flavor)
1 oz. Monin Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
3/4 oz. Monin Salted Caramel Syrup
For a South of the Border treat, tequila or mezcal pairs surprisingly well with coffee flavors. The Durango, Mexico distillers of Bosscal Joven Organic Mezcal created the rich Café Y Humo cocktail which mixes Bosscal Joven with sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, espresso and other touches for a refined caffeine energizer. Mix the first ingredients 1-5 into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a coupe glass. Top with heavy cream and garnish with cocoa powder.
CAFE Y HUMO
1.5 oz Bosscal Mezcal
.5 oz Coffee Liqueur
.5 oz Crème De Cacao
1.5 oz Espresso
.5 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 oz Heavy Cream
In honor of the 2021 Tokyo summer Olympics, raise a class to the world’s most talented athletes with a taste of Shochu, a Japanese distilled spirit that’s distilled from rice (kome), barley (mugi), sweet potatoes (imo), buckwheat (soba), or brown sugar (kokuto). Mugi Hokka Artisanal Japanese Shochu — made from a dark-roasted barley mash – comes from the Tensei Distillery located in Osaki Village, in southeast Japan. Sipped straight, its chocolate and coffee notes perk up. To try the Japanese carbonated coffee trend, mix Mugi Hokka, cold brew, and soda water for a refreshing Spiked Coffee Soda.
SPIKED COFFEE SODA
2 oz. coffee
1 oz. Mugi Hokka
2 oz. Soda water
Pour chilled coffee over ice in tall glass. Add Mugi Hokka and soda water and stir.
