The strong, distinctive flavour of coffee is a perfect cocktail ingredient, whether you use fresh coffee or a coffee flavoured liqueur. Here’s our pick of the best recipes:
Black Magic – mix equal quantities of Tia Maria and vodka together, and add lemon juice to taste. Serve over crushed ice.
Amaretto Choco Latte – Use one measure of Amaretto, two teaspoons of cocoa powder, one measure of strong hot coffee made with freshly-ground coffee beans. Place the cocoa powder in the cup, pour over the Amaretto and coffee and stir until fully combined. Add sugar and milk to taste.
Black Russian – probably the best known of the coffee cocktails, this is made from equal measures of Tia Maria and vodka, topped up with coke.
Baby Guinness – this recipe is best served in a miniature straight glass if you can find one, rather than a tapered shot glass. Pour two thirds of a measure of Tia Maria into the glass, then pour a third of a measure of Baileys over the back of a spoon into the glass, so that it sits on top of the darker liquid, resembling the head of a pint of Guinness.
Mudslide – You’ll need a cocktail shaker for this one. Fill the shaker two thirds full of ice, and add a single measures of vodka, Kahlua (or Tia Maria) and Baileys. Shake until thoroughly combined (impressions of Tom Cruise optional), and stain into a glass.
B52 – another popular drink. Pour a single measure of Kahlua over the back of a spoon into a shot glass. Follow it with a shot of Baileys and then a shot of Grand Marnier, so that the different colours create distinct layers. Variations on the theme are the B53 (Tia Maria or Kahlua, Baileys and vodka) and the B54 (Kahlua or Tia Maria, Baileys and Amaretto).
Classic coffee cocktail – fill a glass with crushed ice. Mix one measure of coffee liqueur, such as Kuhlua or Tia Maria, with two measures of fresh, cold coffee, one measure of cream and a teaspoon of sugar. Pour over the ice. To customise the drink to your taste, try adding stronger coffee, or more or less cream or sugar.