8 Coffee Liqueurs With The Highest ABV For Stronger Cocktails

People love liquor and they love their liqueurs, especially the ones with an ABV that adds a little something extra to a mixed drink. The difference between liqueurs and liquors can be distilled into a few finer points. Liquor is well, a distilled beverage, meaning it was once a fermented liquid that was heated until the alcohol evaporated and condensed. Liqueurs, on the other hand, take a liquor (think vodka, tequila, etc.) and sweeten it. Just like liquor, not all liqueurs are created equal in the court of public opinion, but one stands tall among the rest: coffee liqueur.

While coffee liqueur is a modern favorite — we're looking at you, espresso martinis — it was actually created sometime in the 16th century. Local cultures put their own spin on it using ingredients found in their backyards and today, there are dozens of brands that have done a tremendous job in keeping the tradition alive. People around the world love coffee liqueur in their cocktails, including celebrities like Winnie Harlow, Emma Watson, and Neil Patrick Harris. For those wanting to get the most bang for their buck and indulge in their coffee fixation, here are several brands that pack the rich, deep flavor of coffee with a high ABV.

Made with Ecuadorian 100% Robusta coffee beans, the Grand Brulot Cognac Café is an incredible blend of the bold flavors of coffee with the complex profile of cognac. According to the Grand Brulot website, the spirit is hand-crafted in the Cognac region of France before aging in French oak barrels to further marinate the flavors. It also is a reinvigoration of a longstanding French tradition of combining coffee and cognac, the resulting drink being aptly named The Brulôt. In French, brulôt translates roughly to "firebrand," and the drink takes this to heart with some warm undertones.

Not only does it come in at 40% ABV, but its flavor ensures a tasting experience. With nutmeg and vanilla notes on top of the smoothness of the coffee, it lends itself to a versatile liqueur that can be used in an espresso martini or fashioned into a surprising Manhattan. Both dry and smooth, the finished product is not your traditional coffee liqueur, so if you're a traditionalist, this may not be the option for you.

With branding that says, "The Only Shot Fit For Breakfast," Firelit Spirits' F-80 coffee liqueur uses fair trade coffee beans as its base alongside rum to create a strong base for mixed drinks. The concoction is aged for a month in a steel tank and after its removal it goes through another round of proofing with more cold-brew coffee and sugars.

At 40% ABV, it has a higher alcohol content than its sister, the Firelit Spirits Coffee Liqueur (30% ABV), and packs a punch with a strong coffee flavor. It does have the added benefit of organic cane spirit and pure cane juice, so it's not as bitter as some other options, but it is a potent coffee forward liqueur. It would make a great anchor point for spiked brunch beverages like a vanilla coffee cocktail or splashed in your homemade latte for an at home option.

The team at Glacier Distilling takes the art of brewing a perfect cup of Joe and combines it with the rum that kicks it up a notch. The coffee starts with Guatemalan coffee beans that are hand selected and freshly brewed before being combined with Glacier Distilling's in-house distilled Hungry Horse rum. As with many coffee liqueurs, it has a warm vanilla note that pairs well with the sweetness of the rum and strong coffee. The key with its coffee blend is the mix of hot coffee and cold-soaked coffee to balance acidity, bitterness, and smoothness.

The resulting coffee liqueur is 40% ABV and has a taste that pairs well with any mixed coffee cocktail. The Glacier Distilling team recommends a concoction of ¾ oz. of vodka, 1 oz. of its coffee liqueur, cold brew, chocolate bitters, and a splash of half and half for a morning pick-me-up.

Many smaller distilling companies pride themselves on the use of local ingredients that further promote the love of a community, and Leanderthal Distilling is no different with their coffee liqueur. Its base blend takes coffee from a local coffee shop, Coyote Moon Coffee, in Fredericksburg, Texas. According to Coyote Moon, the beans it imports from around the world are micro-roasted, which allows the most complex flavors to be pulled from the bean. In small batches, this can be a tedious process.

Once roasted and ready, the beans are delivered to Leanderthal on the day of distillation to ensure maximum freshness. The coffee is brewed then combined with house liquor and sweetened with blue agave nectar and pure cane sugar for a 40% ABV finished product to drink. The Leanderthal team recommends pouring JAVAgave into a highball glass with a splash of milk — no extra alcohol necessary.

We can't talk about coffee liqueurs without talking about Kahlúa. It's probably the most recognizable brand name in the space and for good reason. The original recipe takes 100% Arabica beans and mixes it with sugarcane rum for a liqueur that leans heavily on vanilla and caramel notes. The original recipe was lowered in certain markets, down to 16% in Canada and the U.K., while those in the United States can buy it with 20% ABV. For those who want more of a stiff drink, Kahlúa presents their Especial line.

According to the Kahlúa website, Especial is a "dark espresso-style product [sic] made from the purest specialty Arabica coffee beans." Not only does it have a deeper flavor, but it comes in at 35% ABV. This liqueur would be especially great for a White Russian or Mudslide, but with all of these liqueurs, be aware that because the ABV is higher than other coffee liqueurs on the market that you may feel it.

Most coffee liqueurs are made with vodka or rum, so this tequila-based option already stands out among the rest. The base consists of a Cazadores tequila with Mexican coffee and agave, which gives it a deep, rich color that smells just like a freshly roasted cup of coffee. The Cazadores website shares that the taste is a mix of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, oscillating between bold and smooth but also subtle sweetness. The brand believes so deeply in its product that it plays Mozart during the fermentation process, believing it makes for a smoother tequila.

Perhaps it isn't far off with its Mozart theory because the 33% ABV drink is versatile across the board. It's a drink meant to be shared, but like any other tequila drink, it can be enjoyed straight out of the bottle over ice or in a mixed drink. This one is on the sweeter side, which could be a turn-off to those who want a more bitter experience.

Irish whiskey is a league unto its own, spearheaded by its most famous brand, Jameson. As a brand, Jameson has been around since 1780, producing whiskey out of its Bow Street location in Dublin. It made perfect sense that Jameson would capitalize on the "Irish coffee" love to create its own coffee liqueur, using its classic Irish whiskey with cold brew for a drink that's 30% ABV. The beans are fair-trade from South America and add to the well-loved smoothness of Jameson. Meanwhile, the taste is strong, thanks to the cold brew formula, and its intensity pairs well with the vanilla undernotes of the whiskey.

Many folks tend to drink it as-is due to the formula's near-perfect melding of flavors. Some prefer the addition of a splash of milk or cream, but an espresso martini or other mixed cocktail only emboldens the flavors. There's no added sugar in the recipe, which may call for some sweeter additions for those with a sweet tooth, but overall, it's a great option for those who want to spice up their drinks.

Cold brew lovers unite — the High Voltage Coffee Liqueur from Tierra Distilling Co. is a concentrated flavor experience that is perfect for a mixed drink. Unlike some other options on this list, the recipe for this liqueur is meant for mixed drinks, not drinking straight or on ice. In the United States, a liqueur should have over 2.5% of sweetener by weight. The Tierra team uses as little added sugar as possible in its recipe, so sipping straight at 30% ABV could be quite bitter.

In 2024, the High Voltage Coffee Liqueur won a silver medal in the USA Spirits Ratings, which is a spirits competition for independent, regional, and national distillers. Its evaluation process considers quality, value, and how the packaging looks, and Tierra Distilling was awarded an 89 out of 100 for its coffee liqueur. The tasting notes, per the USA Spirits Ratings, are "sweet coffee balanced by sugar, this spirit has a pleasant medium roast and rich mouthfeel, offering a well-balanced, enjoyable experience."