Skip The Liqueur In Your Coffee Cocktail With This Easy Trick

Espresso martinis have been around since the 1980s. Previously a dated classic, this drink has now made a home across craft cocktail lists and even dive bar menus because it artfully combines two unwavering beverage industry favorites: Coffee and alcohol. Coffee liqueur, another of the espresso martini's primary components and a bar staple commonly associated with name brands such as Kahlúa, Mr. Black cold brew coffee liqueur, and Mozart chocolate coffee liqueur, comes with an inherent sweetness thanks to its high sugar content. For anyone who loves the coffee flavor without the sweetness, infuse coffee directly into your liquor instead. With little-to-no sugar and a similar flavor, it makes sense to opt for this ingredient in your next coffee cocktail. Just don't accidentally confuse coffee liqueur, coffee liquor, and espresso; this can throw off your drink's balance and caffeine content.

The infusion process is much easier than you may imagine with many viable techniques to try. Generally, all you need are your coffee beans and liquor of choice (often measured at a 1:10 ratio for consistency) and a few materials to simplify your steps, such as an airtight container and a straining tool. The infusion process is also quite efficient, only taking one to two days to achieve a finished product, and it works with both whole beans or ground coffee; it just depends on your desired potency and flavor. For those who are a bit wary, coffee makes a phenomenal infusion with vodka or gin.

When it comes to coffee-infused liquor, consider the nuanced flavor profiles that inevitably present amongst the beans you opt to use. Be it nutty or fruity, floral or chocolate, the way various flavors come together between roasts and spirits can really make or break your cocktail build. For liquors that have more prominent flavor notes, such as gin and rum, take a little extra care in selecting the type, roast, and brand of your coffee beans to ensure your cocktails are well-balanced and delicious. Roast is especially important; there are three types to consider when looking through bean options on the market.

Lighter roasts tend to be acidic and can work well with complex, lighter spirits. If you lean toward funky, botanical drinks, gin works with lighter roasts and fruit-forward beans. There's also medium roasts, which is the most balanced of the three and lets different flavors come through seamlessly. Vodka is a common choice for medium roasts considering it's relatively flavorless and doesn't add many competing flavors to muddy up your coffee flavor. Lastly, dark roasts are good complements to heavier spirits. Rum is a great pairing since it contains notes of caramel and, sometimes, oak, which tends to work nicely with darker beans. Brandy is another go-to since it leans sweet, with nutty notes that also blend well with dark roast coffee. Regardless of the beans and liquor you go for, there are many ways to make the most of your infusion.