Three Coffee Cocktails (That Aren’t Espresso Martinis)

Coffee Negroni

If there were a Mount Rushmore of cocktails, the Negroni would have a strong shout of being on there. Its simple mix of equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth creates a fragrant, captivating drink with an unmistakable kick that isn’t for the faint of heart.

The Coffee Negroni takes this original recipe and tweaks it ever so slightly by adding coffee liqueur into the mix. Some coffee negroni recipes swap the coffee liqueur in for the sweet vermouth alongside equal parts gin and Campari, but the recipe we’re using retains all the original negroni ingredients. We recommend using:

• 45ml dry gin
• 22.5ml Campari
• 22.5ml sweet vermouth
• 15ml coffee liqueur.

Feel free to adjust quantities to suit your preferences. Build the cocktail in the glass as you would a regular Negroni, stirring well with ice, then garnish with orange zest.

Coffee & Tonic

The point of this article is to prove that you can be flexible with your coffee cocktail choices. If the coffee negroni represents a spirit-forward option, the coffee & tonic offers something much lighter and more refreshing.

The coffee & tonic cocktail is delightfully straightforward to make. All you need is one part Italicus liqueur and two parts tonic water, plus a thin layer of espresso to float on the top of the cocktail. To achieve this, add the Italicus and tonic water to your ice-filled glass, stir well to chill and combine the ingredients, then slowly pour your espresso over the top to form the layer.

This cocktail is often served in a highball or Collins glass, but if you’re having a smaller portion, feel free to use a shorter tumbler, as shown in our photo example.

The above recipe is for the coffee & tonic cocktail. For an alcohol-free espresso tonic, simply omit the Italicus from the recipe and combine a whole espresso shot with your tonic water and ice for the ultimate summer afternoon pick-me-up.

Noble Beast

Now for something a little more ‘out there.’ Developed by Anders Erickson, the Noble Beast belongs to the flip cocktail family. Flips are cocktails that contain egg (often whole egg), sugar, and a spirit or fortified wine.

The Noble Beast makes two tweaks that set it apart from your typical flip cocktail. Firstly, Angostura bitters, which are usually used sparingly in cocktails to add depth, step into the role of primary spirit for this cocktail. Secondly (and crucially, in the case of this cocktail being eligible for this blog), this cocktail uses a shot of espresso to go alongside the spirit base. The full recipe is as follows:

• 30ml Angostura bitters
• 30ml fresh espresso
• 15ml rich demerara syrup
• 1 whole egg

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake (that means without ice) for 20 seconds to properly emulsify the egg. Add ice to the shaker and shake again for at least 10 seconds to chill the drink.

Once done, strain into your cocktail glass of choice. Garnish with a grated coffee bean.

Bonus Suggestion

Mix Up Your Espresso Martinis

If you're bored with regular espresso martinis, instead of searching for a new coffee-based cocktail, just try mixing things up a bit.

By playing around with your garnish, syrup, and base spirit, you can create espresso martini variations that freshen things up while retaining the core qualities of the original drink. For example:

• The espresso rumtini swaps vodka for dark rum as the base spirit and has become a popular espresso martini alternative for people who prefer a richer, more complex structure to their cocktails.
• Garnishing your espresso martini with grated spices like nutmeg and cinnamon adds a more earthy aroma that can feel particularly welcome during the colder months.
• The Biscoff espresso martini mixes Biscoff spread into the espresso shot in place of simple syrup to create the ultimate dessert cocktail. You can try the same approach with other sweet syrup alternatives, such as Nutella or honey.