11 Best Coffee Cocktails to Make This Winter

Bittersweet and sure to pack a punch, you'll want to add these caffeinated cocktails to your repertoire.

Once you've had your fill of Espresso Martinis (we're not rushing you, by any means), you might be curious what other kinds of caffeinated cocktails, iced and hot, await you. Whether you're looking for a dessert cocktail like the Bushwacker or an Affogato Martini to serve as the grand finale for a perfect night out, or just need to whip up an easy drink that'll keep you awake for an hour or two, like a White Russian, there's a whole world of coffee cocktails out there. Read on for a few of our favorites for the cold months ahead.

01 of 11

Oaxacan Coffee

Oaxacan Coffee
Victor Protasio

With a float of whipped cream and just enough sweetness to temper the bitter coffee and herbal notes in the mezcal, this spiked coffee cocktail is well-balanced and fortifying. To make piloncillo syrup, simmer 1 (8-oz.) cone of piloncillo in 1 cup water in a small saucepan until dissolved, about 10 minutes.

02 of 11

Espresso Martini

Espresso Martini

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter

This recipe from Simon Sebbah, beverage director at NYC's American Bar, gets you a perfectly frothy, caffeinated cocktail every time.

03 of 11

Bushwacker

Bushwacker

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling Lucy Simon

This chocolaty, caffeinated cocktail might look like an average milkshake, but it packs a deliciously boozy punch.

04 of 11

Mudslide

Mudslide
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Created in the 1970s at Grand Cayman's Wreck Bar at Rum Point, this potent blend of vodka, Kahlúa, and Baileys Original Irish Cream might taste like a milkshake, but it can't be ordered virgin because all you'd get is a cup of crushed ice! The trio of alcohol blends into a smooth and velvety cocktail just sweet and chocolaty enough without being cloying. A generous drizzle of chocolate syrup and a bright red maraschino cherry with a dusting of ground cinnamon top off each glass.

05 of 11

Shortcut Café Brûlot

Café Brûlot
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

 Café Brûlot is a signature cocktail of New Orleans, where it's prepared tableside at restaurants in an elaborate process that culminates in pouring flaming, citrus- and cinnamon-infused brandy down a clove-studded orange peel into a special silver-lined punch bowl, then dousing the flames with chicory-flavored coffee.

06 of 11

White Russian

White Russian

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

While a White Russian can be made with milk or half and half, heavy cream adds unmatched flavor and texture in this simple cocktail.

07 of 11

Dominicana

Dominicana

Sasha Petraske taught Richard Boccato this White Russian variation when Boccato worked for him at Milk & Honey. Boccato makes it with Caffé Lolita coffee liqueur.

08 of 11

Frozen Salted Espresso Martini

Frozen Salted Espresso Martini
Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

If you're an espresso martini fan, you'll love this frosty twist. An elegant sprinkle of flaky sea salt finishes the drinks off, and balances the espresso's bitterness. 

09 of 11

Third Wave Swizzle

Third Wave Swizzle Recipe
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

A swizzle stick is the key to a cold, well-mixed, frothy drink, but if you don’t have one on hand, you can use a long bar spoon to mix (although you won’t get as much frothing). To create the best froth and chill, rub the swizzle stick in between both hands to swish the stick back and forth in the cocktail.

10 of 11

Irish Coffee

Irish coffee
Brent Hofacker / Getty Images

Since coffee is such a big part of the drink, you want strong, freshly brewed stuff that you like to drink. Many inferior Irish Coffees go wrong from the start, using stale coffee and then trying to cover it up with too many additions. Instead, pare down, and break out the good stuff, or at least coffee that you'd drink a fresh cup of without complaint.

11 of 11

Affogato Martini

Affogato Martini

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

When it comes to serving the Affogato Martini at home, Cory Holt, Beverage Director for Maialino, recommends pre-scooping the gelato, setting each scoop into the glass that you’re serving the drink in, and freezing the prepared glasses for a minimum of ten minutes prior to drinking.

Was this page helpful?
Related Articles