11 Mistakes Everyone Makes With Coffee Cocktails

Whether it's Irish coffee on a cozy winter evening, or the perfect chilled espresso martini on a balmy summer night, coffee cocktails can hit the spot. If you love the coffee flavor, you may want to whip up a batch of coffee cocktails for yourself or your dinner party guests. If so, you've likely got a few questions about how to get it right. We say coffee, but do we mean espresso or coffee liqueur? Are those interchangeable? How much sugar do you really need to balance that acidic flavor? If tequila is all you have in the cupboard, can you still make an espresso martini? 

You'll want to be doubly careful if you're spiking your coffee with flavored liquor. Coffee and whiskey? Delicious. Coffee and apple flavored whiskey? Maybe not so much. Coffee and vodka? Simple, elegant. Coffee and cotton candy-flavored vodka? An acquired taste at best. 

We spoke to several experts in the world of coffee and cocktails — from award winning distillers to champion baristas — and rounded up their top tips to avoid the pitfalls that could be keeping your coffee cocktails from really shining. Fear not, delicious coffee cocktails are totally achievable at home. There are just a few common mistakes to keep in mind before you get out the shaker.

Using bad coffee will lead to a bad cocktail. This is probably the cardinal sin of coffee cocktails. If you love coffee, you already know that not all beans are created (or roasted) equally. If you're less of a connoisseur, you might think any old coffee will do in this context, but think again. Two-time U.S. Champion Barista and CEO of Klatch Coffee, Heather Perry, says you'd be wrong to think you can cut corners when selecting the coffee for your cocktail. Don't use anything you wouldn't actually drink on its own. "If it's not going to make a good coffee," she says, "it's not going to make a good coffee cocktail."

Justin Stiefel, CEO and Master Distiller at Heritage Distilling Company, agrees. "Using stale or low-quality coffee beans can drastically affect the taste," he said. That's right, it's not just about how expensive your beans were — coffee can also go stale. Even after brewing, coffee can losing its aroma and taste over time, says Luke Barr, Global Master Mixologist at NEFT Vodka. "This is due to oxygenation causing the oils and sugars to lose their bold characteristics," he explains. "The oils can also start to separate ... This means a more astringent flavor and less ability to create a well-balanced cocktail." Make sure your coffee is fresh before brewing and adding to your drinks, or that nasty aftertaste will follow the coffee into the cocktail.

An ounce of coffee does not equal an ounce of Kahlua. Many recipes will call for both coffee and coffee liqueur, while some require just one or the other. Coffee liqueurs are very sweet. If you are using extra coffee liqueur (or trying to replace espresso with liqueur), adjust the sugar in your drink accordingly. On the other hand, if you're going with straight espresso, and omitting any liqueur, make sure you do add some sweetener for balance. When you've got Irish cream in the mix, there's another added element: dairy. Irish creams are not a replacement for straight coffee liqueurs. 

Champion barista Heather Perry reminds us that we don't have to go for store brand coffee liqueur. In fact, many of those are too sweet and have a less-than-ideal aftertaste, in her opinion. There are some good ones, but she highly recommends making coffee liqueur in house. It's pretty easy to do, and you can adjust the sweetness while making sure you've got a higher quality coffee involved. Another option she eagerly advocates is simply infusing the liquor itself with coffee. Let some vodka (or whichever other spirit you choose) sit in a jar with whole coffee beans for a day or more and you'll get that flavor right into the liquor. You can do it with rum if you're making a rum-based cocktail, or whiskey for a coffee-infused Old Fashioned. You could use ground coffee, but that may end up being trickier to filter out. "You would be shocked at how well liquor absorbs the flavor of coffee beans themselves," Perry says. 

Coffee doesn't just mean drip coffee. Many bartenders prefer to use cold brew, espresso, or even concentrate when making their coffee cocktails, but when should they be used? Clodagh Mai O'Callaghan, U.S. Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, broke it down for us. "Regular coffee is very balanced," she says, "with a mild acidity and bitterness that is best for creating well-rounded, mellow coffee flavors." Even a small volume of espresso, on the other hand, will deliver a very intense, rich, and robust flavor, she tells us. This makes espresso ideal for more coffee-forward cocktails with other ingredients that can balance out the intensity.

O'Callaghan says cold brew is more concentrated than coffee, but still less intense than espresso. Cold brew tends to be less bitter and acidic, and has a smoother, sweeter character, which O'Callaghan believes makes it perfect for chilled or dessert style cocktails. She'll even sometimes use heated cold brew for an Irish coffee. 

Heather Perry points out that espresso martinis don't necessarily have to be made with espresso. To make it easier on bartenders and waitstaff, she suggests using a batch of coffee concentrate from a really good roaster. Even the best bartenders might not be great baristas, so don't make them pull espressos all night! Instead, stock the bar with quality coffee concentrate or swap in cold brew for your next espresso martini. That way, the coffee is already concentrated, chilled, and ready to go all night. 

Everyone we spoke to had their own personal favorite, so there's no dearth of options when it comes to selecting the right spirit to pair with coffee, but all agreed that you'll want to be thoughtful. "If you're new to coffee cocktails, vodka provides a smooth entry point," said Luke Barr, Master Mixologist at NEFT Vodka. When it's time to whip up the perfect espresso martini, he's grabbing a bottle of NEFT, of course, but any vodka will have a more neutral flavor than most other liquors. "Unlike gin, which has a more pronounced herbal character," Barr explains, "vodka allows the richness of the espresso and the subtle sweetness of coffee liqueurs to take center stage."

Heather Perry admits coffee and gin are not an intuitive pairing, but a coffee Negroni is one of her favorite cocktails. Though she concedes, when it comes to espresso martinis, she'd probably stay away from a more flavorful gin because the espresso and the botanical gin will be competing.

Clodagh Mai O'Callaghan of Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey says she'd steer clear of super sweet or anise-flavored spirits like amaretto, absinthe, ouzo, or sambuca because, as the licorice flavors will likely overpower the coffee. However, the masters agree that a deft hand can make almost anything work. For us mere mortals, though? O'Callaghan recommends rich, complex spirits. "Rich, caramel notes in bourbon can enhance the coffee's natural bitterness, while spiced rum can add depth," adds Heritage Distilling Company's Justin Stiefel. 

If you like a sweet coffee, you'll probably like a sweet coffee cocktail, but not all coffee beverages need to be that sweet. In order not to drown out the other flavors at play, you'll want to balance sweetness carefully. "Too much sweetener can overpower the drink," says Justin Stiefel, "while too little can leave it tasting harsh." He encourages people to experiment with different types of sweeteners (like simple syrup, flavored syrups, maple syrup, or honey) to find the right balance of sweetness and flavor that will complement both the coffee and the spirit in whatever drink they're making.

Heather Perry acknowledges there are loads of sweet cocktails out there, just as there are tons of sweet coffees. It's not hard to imagine that the marriage of these phenomena yields tasty results, but she prefers a coffee cocktail that isn't too sweet. Perry believes coffee works better with more alcohol-forward drinks. That's partly why she experiments with infusing coffee right into the spirits. She gave a shout out to soaking sweet vermouth with coffee beans, infusing this already sweet alcohol with the coffee directly helps keep the overall sweetness down and focuses more on the complex bitter flavors. Sure, we associate coffee with sugar, but on its own, coffee isn't really sweet at all — it can be quite bitter. "Most cocktails can actually incorporate coffee really easily," Perry says, as most cocktails typically have a bitter component. 

Coffee might not taste great with everything, but there's a surprising wealth of options to pair with coffee. Clodagh Mai O'Callaghan says many nuts, spices, and herbs add depth or warmth and complement coffee's flavor. "Cinnamon brings out earthy tones ... mint is a refreshing contrast, and nutmeg will enhance a coffee's richness ... berries complement a coffee's acidity with their tartness," she said. O'Callaghan added that more fruity, citrus notes can brighten the flavor. Personally, she loves to pair coffee with a salted caramel flavor, or even a mascarpone as a more savory option.

Joel Paulino, VP of Marketing at Duke & Dame, echoes the idea that nutty and spicy flavors tend to complement coffee well, and he favors salted caramel whiskey. "Flavors that are overly floral or fruity tend to conflict a bit with coffee," he says. Luke Barr agrees, saying, "One should be very leery of using citrus or citric acid in coffee cocktails."

Many coffee shops sell espresso tonic with lime, orange, or lemon, but Barr isn't wrong in saying that pairing multiple tart, acidic ingredients can cause acid reflux. He does note, however, that lemon juice can be used in certain coffee cocktails to amplify the sweetness. Klatch Coffee's Heather Perry thinks coffee and citrus can be a match made in heaven — if you have the right coffee, that is. Cold brew lemonade is trendy right now. She says, "you add some vodka to that ... incredibly delicious." She even loves it with tequila, likening it to a margarita with a caffeinated twist. 

Once you've got your ingredients selected, the next biggest mistake people tend to make has to do with the temperature of their ingredients. Pouring hot coffee directly over ice will melt it, yielding a weaker, lukewarm cocktail. Similarly, pouring ice cold liquor into hot coffee will likewise yield unsatisfactorily lukewarm results. If all you have is cold coffee, warm it up first, or make an iced coffee spiked with whiskey instead of a hot Irish coffee. 

"Ensure your coffee is chilled before mixing," instructs Justin Stiefel, "and use the right ice to avoid over-dilution." Luke Barr echoes this warning and reminds us that cracked ice leads to dilution, and can even shock the coffee, "causing a highly acidic bitter taste." Nobody wants that. 

On the other hand, Clodagh Mai O'Callaghan cautions that home bartenders should stay away from using scalding hot coffee either, which can also dilute spirits by causing the alcohol to evaporate. If you're looking to whip up Irish coffees, there are a few key bartender tips for perfect hot cocktails. You may also want to pre-warm a glass. 

So, if you shouldn't pour hot coffee in a cocktail shaker, can you pop that shot of espresso in the freezer for a minute to cool it down quickly? Luke Barr at NEFT Vodka explains that you want your coffee or espresso at room temp for best results, and it should ideally be chilled in a sealed container in the refrigerator — not in the freezer. 

"You should never freeze coffee or espresso as it kills the aroma, acidity, and ability to emulsify properly," he explains. Freezing might seem most expedient, but it would lead to an "imbalanced and astringent cocktail that would not be pleasing." Have a little patience, or foresight, and get that coffee just to room temperature in the fridge. Alternatively, you can stock a coffee concentrate instead, as it's been suggested, to avoid the matter of chilling hot coffee altogether. 

Joel Paulino at Duke & Dame says coffee cocktails really don't need to be that complicated. Simply spiking whatever coffee beverage you already enjoy with a splash of good liquor or liqueur can yield delicious results. By that same token, champion barista Heather Perry notes, you could just add coffee to a favorite sweet cocktail, like a hot buttered rum or a mudslide.

Perry personally tends to prefer a bolder concoction that really highlights the coffee tasting note. That being said, sometimes the simplest options are the most satisfying and refreshing. Perry has a flair for innovative mixology, but even she admits that a simple cold brew lemonade with a splash of vodka or tequila could be the perfect choice on a hot day.

Justin Stiefel, CEO at Heritage Distilling Company, recommends focusing on key ingredients that you know work well together." Coffee already brings a lot to the table in terms of flavor — you don't need to come up with a 12-ingredient concoction to impress. Espresso martinis are typically made with just three or four ingredients, and a coffee Old Fashioned or a coffee Negroni simply adds coffee to an already-perfect classic.

"I often see people add too much coffee liqueur or espresso to their cocktails," says Henry Ottrix, beverage director for Xiquita Restaurante and Lucina Eatery & Bar in Denver, Colorado. Espresso is among the strongest forms of coffee you could be working with, and we've already discussed how some coffee liqueurs have a nasty aftertaste. "With coffee's strong and acidic flavor, a little bit goes a long way," Ottrix says. He advises people start with less, as you can always add more later if needed.

On the other hand, Heather Perry, CEO of Klatch Coffee, believes people often shy away from adding enough coffee. "It doesn't come through quite strong enough," she says, "and ends up being a little bit of an afterthought." What's the point in using this distinct flavor if you're not going to highlight it? If you're making a bold choice with coffee, own it! 

Sometimes, there's a science to building a cocktail. The order in which ingredients are added into a shaker or stirred into a hot liquid can have an effect on how they combine or interact. "Coffee is inherently acidic," explains Justin Stiefel, "in the world of chemistry, we always try to add acids to our solutions to help them mix properly." Luke Barr cautions that mixing hot coffee and certain creamy ingredients can cause curdling. "This is when the acid of the coffee and proteins of the cream interact causing the two to clump together," he explains. He says the best way to counteract that is to use a fresh cream and a less acidic coffee. "Add cream slowly," he says, "and do not shake — stir!"

Heather Perry agrees, we should all use best bar practices when mixing coffee drinks, and not try to vigorously stir a cup full of hot coffee. Add the coffee after you mix the other ingredients, otherwise you're going to get hot coffee all over the place. 

"Delicate ingredients like sparkling water, soda or cream should be added last to preserve their texture and flavor," Clodagh Mai O'Callaghan advises. To avoid curdling or separation, we ought to add alcohol or syrups first to stabilize before introducing acid. She says, as a general rule of thumb, begin with spirits or bitters, and then add any syrups or sweeteners. "Next, incorporate juices, mixers or modifiers, and finish with carbonated delicate elements and garnish," O'Callaghan concluded.