Over the holidays I drank a lot of good coffee and a decent amount of bourbon! On more than one occasion I also mixed the two for a nice morning cocktail. This got me wondering about how to mix decaf coffee and spirits to make really amazing coffee cocktails.
What alcohol goes best with decaf coffee? Rum, Bourbon, Vodka or Schnapps are all common additions to coffee around the world. Much like ordinary cocktails regional influences shape what is mixed into the cocktail. Alcohol also offers the ability to flavor decaf coffee in many unique ways such as raspberry vodka or peppermint schnapps.
For me the benefit of mixing decaf with alcohol is twofold. First I can create really unique and flavorful drinks. Secondly having a coffee cocktail either morning or night makes any occasion extra awesome!
What happens when you mix decaf coffee and alcohol?
Let’s get the basic question out of the way. What happens when you mix decaf coffee and alcohol? Honestly in the case of decaf very little. A common concern people have with mixing coffee or really the caffeine with alcohol is the chance of side effects. The obvious one that the CDC reports on in this link is masking the effects of alcohol with caffeine’s stimulating properties.
When alcohol is mixed with caffeine, the caffeine can mask the depressant effects of alcohol, making drinkers feel more alert than they would otherwise. As a result, they may drink more alcohol and become more impaired than they realize, increasing the risk of alcohol-attributable harms.
The CDC continues on with other dangers of mixing caffeine with alcohol to include greater risks of binge drinking (due to feeling more alert then you are), engaging in risky behavior like unprotected/unwanted sex, drunk driving, riding with a drunk driver, or alcohol related injuries.
Is this really a concern for us classy decaf drinkers? As you may have read in my 42 reasons to drink decaf article, decaf has about 97% less caffeine than regular coffee. This solves the first problem it’s unlikely to have the same stimulating effects as regular coffee mixed with alcohol. Though everyone is different and how sensitive you are to caffeine is very variable.
For me I can drink decaf at night and not have any sleep issues. The same is true for my very sensitive to caffeine wife! Check out my article on Will Decaf Keep me Awake to read more about this topic!
Next to address the CDC’s second point on binge drinking and risky behavior due to caffeine. I think for a classy decaf coffee aficionado like you this is low risk. Most of the binge drinking information on the CDC’s website is focused on high school and college kids. Alcoholism is a devastating condition and even small amounts of alcohol can cause a person to spiral out of control. As always drink responsibly and don’t drive or make important life decisions.
That out of the way, let’s talk some more technical details of making awesome decaf cocktails! One more point first, I am choosing to use the word cocktail even though strictly that does not define all these drinks from a bartending point of view. As I am not a bartender I will not attempt to differentiate all the nuances but try to convey the important points of some of these combinations.
What’s the best alcohol to use?
The best alcohol to use is the one which you most enjoy! Practically every alcohol has a library of recipes from all over the world on how to make cocktails. For example, my favorite spirit is Bourbon. I tried a few ways to use Bourbon in my decaf and my favorite was just straight in my coffee with nothing else or a little amount of milk. That’s it. I also tried making a decaf hot toddy though I personally didn’t like it, more on this later!
Check out my list of top choices for spirits to add to your coffee! A few might surprise you!
- Bourbon
- Rum
- Vodka
- Schnapps
- Tequila
- Gin
- Sambuca
- Beer
What bartending gear do I need?
For most of the recipes I outline very little. A shaker and a jigger (a two sided calibrated measuring device) are about it and the rest you might have like a mortar and pestle to crush additions, a zester or a mallet to crush ice.
If you are a serious bartender you might desire other equipment but these are the basics. The thing that surprised me the most in writing this article was how much technical knowledge of spirits and bartending you need to make a lot of different cocktails! I had to work on my technical descriptions so I could be sure I was using accurate language and not confusing anyone. Like what is Sambuca? Its anise flavored alcohol if you didn’t know. Or what is a jigger? As I mentioned a calibrated measuring device.
What spirits go best straight up
This is a great question and highly personnel based on taste. I prefer Bourbon as I mentioned. I also really enjoyed adding vodka because it gave my decaf a punch up especially with dark roast but didn’t overpower the flavor with high charred oak flavor like the Bourbon did. It really just depends on what you are in the mood for.
The biggest surprise I found I enjoyed was actually tequila! I never would have thought of it but it paired well. I found it to provide a potent kick semi sweet flavor.
Coffee and beer or beer and coffee?!
To those outside the home brew or craft brew market this might seem strange but it pairs very well! With this concoction I am really saying pairing beer with coffee and not coffee with beer. WHats the difference, really this is meant for when you want beer and are interested in something coffee like. THis is a great hot day, barbequing some sticky ribs in the backyard type drink. It also makes for a great compliment for those cold winter holiday meals be it ham at Christmas dinner or wings at the superbowl! My favorite beer to pair coffee with is a porter or stout. I had an awesome blonde coffee ipa one time in Portland, Oregan that I still dream of to this day!
WHats a quick recipe to make this? Pour beer, then coffee. Drink! Seriously the advantage of mixing your own coffee beer is you can dial it to how much beer or coffee you want. I would say a shot glass of coffee to one full beer is a good start. And best of all since you can use some tasty decafs I recommend here you don’t have to worry about staying up half the night after having two or three of these!
How to craft drinks without a recipe
There are some simple tricks to making awesome drinks recipe free! First pick what you want a fancey rink something simple, tropical, frutiy, heavy and smokey.. Ok got an idea. Now start with your decaf selection. IF you want something heavy go for a dark roast. LIght and airy a good medium roast. Note I have yet to find a good light roast decaf but I am still trying! Need some help pciking a coffee, click on this link to vie my 20 best decafs post!
Lets assume you chose a fancy coffee cocktail. SOmething like a white russina but wiht some interesting falvors to it. Lets take a cup of dark roast, add milk/cream, some bourbon and a splash of something like Sambuca. THere you go an awesome white russian like drink with anise flavors to complement a dark roast coffee. Not your thing? No problem pick what you like! YOu could add in some raspberry vodka with heavy cream and some brown sugar and have a raspberry cheesecake like decaf cocktail!
Want a cold cocktail? How about an ice cream, peppermint schnapps decaf float? Sound amaxzing, yeah your welcome! Ok too grade school? How about a heavy stout with a bright medium roast and a splash of orange vodka? THe point is whatever you like you can mix together.
I ignored garnishes until now but basically any one you want you can add like a raspberry or citrus peel. Really the rule of thumb is just using falvors you enjoy mixed with coffee. I personally didn’t enjoy my decaf hot toddy i made (coffee, lemon wedge, and cloves), but it was still a very unique drink. I liked the raspberry cheescake like recipe much more!
If your having a bunch of guests try ahving a decaf coffee mixing bar with multiple spirits, garnishes, creams, ice creams, sugars and wee what peple come up with. It might just transform that next routine dinner party into something amazing!
Which alcohol to pick?
Now you know the background and have some ideas on what types of spirits to use how do you pick them to blend into your coffee? FIrst I would say based on my research and trials that this is not the time for breaking out the bottle of fifty year old Bourbon! It’s also not the time to go for the gallon plastic jug on sale either. A middle of the road quality spirit is the way to go. WHy? SImply you will lose the high end flavors of a really expensive liquor in the coffee. Going cheap you will notice all the limitations and flaws in cheap spirits. Not to mention the headaches from cheap booze. THis is especially true for me with cheap vodka, it has to be a high quality brand. I don’t understand why but that’s the way it is!
If you are mixing with Vodka the main point to remember is that you are adding VOdka to kick it up but not add flavor. That’s totally cool just be aware of your end goal. Flavored vodkas can be an excellent way to make really unique drink combinations though!
Tip: Flavored Vodka is an awesome way to add some unique flavors to your coffee without adding distinctive flavors like oak from Bourbon. MOst vodka brands offer a wide range of flavored Vodkas like Raspberry or Vanilla.
How should I brew coffee to mix with alcohol?
Anyway you like! My recommendation is brew it with your favorite method again and mix away. THeres no clear winner in which method to use other then using high quality coffee and good brewing practices. A few thoughts on each process below.
Percolator-muted coffee flavor, good to mix with more flavorful spirits
French press-flavorful coffee, good to pair with muted alcohols or flavored ones like Raspberry Vodka
Autodrip– good coffee, good to pair with any alcohol
Aeropress– good for small batches of coffee for yourself
Espresso– excellent coffee flavor, pairs with any alcohol well but probably best with more muted alcohols to not overwhelm espresso flavor.
Does Whiskey go well with coffee?
Asking if Whiskey goes with coffee is like asking if pastries go with coffee. Not only does Whiskey go well it’s one of the best to use due to its robust woody flavors that pair really well with many coffees. I paired some Wild Turkey Whiskey with my Starbucks Decaf Verona blend and it was amazing!
Can I put Vodka in coffee?
Vodka is a great addition to coffee if you want to add some kick to the drink. The downside of vodka is it’s generally pretty flavorless. It’s not like Whiskey where it will compliment the natural flavors. Vodka is a straight up punch in the mouth when used in coffee. That’s okay, as that might be what you’re looking for, instead of a complementary flavor. MOst vodka cocktail recipes are either mixed with juice of some sort or used as compile try alcohol paired with another like rum.
Best Tequila coffee recipe!
Tequila was a new idea to me to mix with coffee. Rum, Vodka, or Whiskey all seem natural. I was surprised to see people used tequila. I couldn’t find a “real” regional recipe mixing Tequila and coffee. I was forced to turn to the internet and look for a good recipe to share.
Adding it in straight up was awesome! It gave the coffee such a kick and a bit of sweetness too. That said here’s two unique recipes from Town and Country Magazine I used as a base. Check out the Marble Queen or the Manhattan Goes Hollywood in the link for more details or the quick tip below for the ingredients. I copied the basics below as only a starting point. Again its all about balance the ingredients you find desirable and not adhering to a recipe strictly!
Recipe Tip
Manhattan Goes Hollywood- tequila, orange bitters and maple syrup plus decaf of course!
The Marble Queen– coconut cream, tequila, and orange peel, lime juice and dont forget the decaf!
Names/recipes from Town and Country Mag article “34 Tequila Drinks More Exciting Than A Margarita” link above
What alcohols mix with milk the best?
Any!? Seriously the white russian is the prime example of mixing milk and alcohol. But really any alcohol will mix with milk, soy or coconut cream. Its all taste dependent and what type of drink you are going for. If you want a more tropical flavor coconut milk and rum with some good dark roast decaf might do the trick. Or if you’re looking for that tall mouth burning holiday drink go with some cinnamon vodka, heavy cream and a good strong decaf blend. That will put some hair on that bad holiday sweater! Looking for something a bit lighter in general? Try some skim milk or nut milk add a shot of tequila and your favorite medium roast decaf and your in latte town! Really it’s just about thinking about what you like and what pairs well. You can’t really ever go too wrong as almost every combination you can think of is done in some part of the world.
One more idea to try is adding ice cream to your coffee booze mix to make a coffee cocktail float! I would recommend a vanilla or chocolate for a basic recipe or something like a mint ice cream for a more adventurous mix. Pair it with some peppermint schnapps like Rumple MInze and you have a mint explosion! I love mint by the way and I know some people hate it so that combination may sound awful. It’s really about combining what you like and what you are going for.
Let’s raid the liquor cabinet!!
Hopefully you learned a trick or two to spice up your decaf coffee drinking with some good spirits. Really it’s not hard to craft drinks that taste great. To recap here’s how to make awesome cocktails without a recipe!
- Pick favorite coffee
- Pick favorite spirit
- Decided if you want it straight up or fancy
- Mix coffee and spirit with desired fancy things that taste good
- SIt back and enjoy like the aficionado you are!
My goal here was to entertain and educate you on how to mix alcohol with decaf and make great drinks. I specifically did not give you recipes because there are enough of those blogs out there. I wanted to give you techniques and methods to craft truly awesome coffee drinks. And truthfully most of this is experimentation. Learning what pairs well together much like when you serve a fancy diner.