Modern Coffee Cocktails

The Espresso Martini, Spanish Coffee, and Irish Coffee paved the way for coffee’s prolific use in cocktails. And while these classics are still as popular as ever, modern coffee cocktails have evolved to incorporate everything from drip coffee to infusions, syrups, and cold-brew concentrate. Here are creative recipes to explore.

Brewed Coffee

Apapacho Café

Apapacho, which translates to “a warm hug,” combines hot coffee with bourbon and vermouth rosso and is topped with freshly whipped cream.

King Coffee

Aged rum anchors this after-dinner drink.

Negroni Svegliato

Brewing coffee with sweet vermouth gives this Negroni riff an extra layer of bittersweetness.

Coffee Liqueur

Abuela’s Revenge

Broken Shaker’s frozen hot chocolate cocktail pairs mezcal and coffee with Mexican hot chocolate and a kick of heat.

Black Lodge

The mere introduction of coffee liqueur to this rich take on the Boulevardier makes it ideal for a post-dinner sip.

Midnight Marauder No. 2

This rich whiskey cocktail combines rye, coffee liqueur, curaçao, and a touch of mezcal for the perfect nightcap.

Tipsy Jitters

Infusing the cream with Angostura bitters amps up the warm fall flavors of this coffee cocktail by Nashville’s Martha My Dear.

Espresso

Bar Clacson’s Espresso Martini

A minty-fresh take on the classic.

Cafe Martini

Give the trendy Espresso Martini more dimension and kick by swapping the vodka for a reposado tequila.

Haymaker

This rich combo of rye whiskey, espresso, and cream drinks like a boozy iced latte.

Matriarch Martini

For her Speed Rack–winning Espresso Martini recipe, bartender Haley Traub found inspiration from her mom’s Black Forest trifle dessert.

Cold-Brew Coffee

Broad Street Irish Coffee

Jackson Cannon achieves new levels of deliciousness with this riff on the classic.

Damn Fine Coffee Martini

In Cane & Table’s coffee Martini recipe, bold flavors come together to create a complex but delicate java cocktail.

Honeyed Coffee Gin & Tonic

Cold-brew and honey boost the classic G&T.

Sleepwalker

This coffee cocktail from Brooklyn’s We Got Company can be prepared chilled or hot depending on your mood or the weather.

Three Dots and a Dash’s Coffee Grog

This cocktail from Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash reimagines the classic Coffee Grog as an Espresso Martini.