Don't Make This Simple Mistake With Coffee-Based Cocktails

For many, there's nothing better than a coffee-based cocktail, which combines two sophisticated adult beverage categories with complex and complementary flavor profiles. Coffee's notes of roastiness, chocolate, earthiness, and fruitiness make it a versatile and perfect partner for everything from vodka to rum to whiskey. There are many classic, delicious coffee cocktails, including the still-trending espresso martini, the iconic Irish coffee, and the under-the-radar Revolver, but all of them have one must in common when it comes to making them well: using good-quality coffee.

Yes, coffee is an instant cocktail foundation with its complex profile. But you also have to choose and treat that coffee well for good results. One of Tasting Table expert James Hastings' biggest mistakes you can make with coffee cocktails is assuming you can get away with cheap or just not great coffee because you're mixing it with other ingredients. "The powerful flavor of coffee means that it typically forms the foundation of the cocktail," Hastings explained, "so using an inferior brew can lead to weak or unbalanced flavors."

Many sometimes assume the same with cooking wine, but for both wine in food and coffee in cocktails, you will still taste any flaws, and they will ruin the rest of the dish or drink. As Hastings noted, because coffee makes up so much of a coffee cocktail, if it's too bitter, too astringent, or too weak, your entire beverage suffers. If you wouldn't drink a coffee on its own, you don't want to drink it in a cocktail. This doesn't mean your coffee has to be fancy or expensive, just reliable in quality.

Once you get some practice making your favorite coffee cocktails, the process will be a snap. But in the beginning, it's essential to learn how to choose the right coffee. For example, when do you use coffee versus espresso in your caffeinated tipples? What kind of coffee or espresso, in particular? Is it ever okay to make an espresso martini with instant espresso?

The answers to most coffee selection questions circle right back to quality. For most cocktails, you can use coffee or espresso depending on your overall desired flavor profile — coffee is lighter-bodied, while espresso is bolder, more intense, and generates more of a foam. Whichever you use, just make sure it's coffee or espresso you actually like. The type of coffee you pick is subjective, too, as there is a difference between arabica and robusta coffee beans.

The former is less bold, lighter, and sweeter, while the latter is more intense and bitter. Choose based on how bold you want your cocktail and on the other ingredients in the recipe, as coffee made from robusta beans may overwhelm more understated elements. Beyond this, you can even use a bottled cold brew or instant coffee — again, just ensure you're utilizing one of the best cold brew brands or an instant coffee you've tried on its own. If you love your regular coffee in a mug in the morning, you'll likely love it in a carajillo, too.