4 coffee-based summer cocktails (+1)

The combination of alcohol and coffee is well consolidated, thanks to a long tradition of drinks which marry them together in various different ways, suitable both for after meals and for other moments of the day.

The most famous of these is probably the Irish Coffee, but with the arrival of the hot weather there is no room for such a rich-flavored hot and cream-loaded delight, at least not in Italy.

On the other hand, however, there are many coffee-based summer cocktails, perfect for when the temperatures start to rise: here’s how to prepare some of the more well-known ones.

Coffee-based summer cocktails: from the Mojito to the Americano

The aromatic notes of coffee are perfect for livening up an aperitif with friends, especially on those long summer evenings.

If during the day and in the hot afternoons a frappè, a fruit smoothie or even a bubble tea, can bring refreshment, when the sun starts to go down, that’s the time to enjoy a good cocktail.

Here are some alternatives to the standard coffee that you can offer during the summertime, to satisfy every taste.

I. Coffee Mojito

There are many Mojito lovers to be found all over the world: this cocktail with lime and mint leaves is a real must, especially in the summer.

When a drink becomes particularly popular, very often, other variations are created by changing one ingredient, or adding a note of flavor or color.

This is the case, for example, with the Passion Fruit Mojito, but this cocktail also exists in the coffee-flavored version: here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1.69 fl oz of white rum
• 10 mint leaves
• 1 shot of espresso
• 2 spoons of brown sugar
• soda
• crushed ice

Method:

1. Prepare an espresso and leave it to cool.
2. In a tall tumbler, crush the mint leaves with the brown sugar.
3. Add the espresso and the soda. Mix and add the crushed ice.
4. Decorate with a few mint leaves.

2. Americano with Espresso

The Negroni and Americano cocktails are another two pillars of International level mixology, and there is a close link between them, so much so that one is considered the “offspring” of the other.

Always served in an old-fashioned glass, both of these drinks lend themselves to small reinterpretations, like the Espresso Americano, a coffee based long drink.

Ingredients:

• 1.01 fl oz of bitter
• 1.01 fl oz of red vermouth
• 1 shot of espresso
• soda
• ice cubes

Method:

1. Prepare the espresso and leave it to cool.
2. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the bitter and vermouth and mix.
3. Add the espresso, now cooled, stir, and lastly add the soda.

 

3. Espresso Martini

How could we talk about summer cocktails without mentioning another undisputed prince of the cocktail world, the Martini, which they say was invented by Dick Bradsell in the 1980s at Freds Club in London.

This cocktail, too, has a coffee version, ideal for after dinner, perhaps to accompany a chocolate dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1.18 fl oz of vodka
• 0.51 fl oz of coffee liqueur
• 1 shot of espresso
• ½ teaspoon of sugar
• coffee beans

Method:

1. Prepare the espresso and leave it to cool
2.  Chill the glass in which you will serve the cocktail, by filling it with ice cubes.
3. In a mixing glass, mix the vodka and the coffee liqueur, together with the espresso and the sugar.
4. Remove the ice from the glass and pour in the cocktail. Decorate with some coffee beans before serving.

4. Espresso or Coffee tonic

As we have already mentioned, coffee goes really well with liqueurs such as gin: this is why an Espresso or Coffee Tonic is another drink recommended for the summer season.

Let’s see how it’s prepared.

Ingredients:

• 1.01 fl oz of gin
• 1 shot of espresso
• Tonic water
• ice cubes

Method:

1. Prepare an espresso and leave it to cool.
2. In a glass mix the gin with the cold coffee and the tonic water.
3. Add the ice cubes before serving.

Cold Brew Coffee

This cold extracted coffee is one of the trends of 2019, as we saw in the specially dedicated article: using this method you can obtain a coffee with a milder less acidic flavor, very delicate, which is perfect for creating summer cocktails.

The combinations suggested here are those with less strong spirits, which might risk covering the flavor of the coffee.

For example, gin is perfect, as is a good quality straight vodka.

In order to make a sophisticated and cool drink, simply mix 1.69 fl oz of cold brew coffee with 0.34 fl oz of gin (or vodka) directly in a glass and add some ice cubes before serving.

Alternatively, you can also use Nitro Cold Brew Coffee (the creamy frothy version with nitrogen added which looks like a beer) as the base for a cocktail.

So which are your favorite coffee-based summer cocktails?