The complexity and pleasant bitterness of coffee makes it the perfect ingredient in cocktails, including some you never thought would work with coffee. Dark-roasted beans would be a great base in a granita but might overpower the more delicate flavors of a negroni, for instance. Here are three simple drinks that draw on coffee for its depth of flavor, plus they’re easy to make at home!
Coffee Negroni
This classic cocktail is a perfect marriage of bitter, sweet, and citrus, and coffee gives it another layer of flavor explosion. Cold-brew concentrate* works great here, as a nice counterpart to the snappy Campari and sparkling orange spritz.
Grown-Up Granita
Granita is an Italian dessert with a finely granulated slushy texture. Though you’ll find them in fruity flavors, coffee is a favorite rendition, and the addition of rum gives this treat a little extra kick. (Swap in whiskey and cut the cinnamon for a frozen version of Irish coffee!)
Affogato Corretto
This punchy little after-dinner cocktail combines two classic Italian combinations: the affogato (a shot of espresso poured over vanilla gelato) and the espresso corretto, or an espresso that's been "corrected" with liquor, traditionally sambuca (an Italian anise-flavoured liqueur) or grappa (an Italian grape brandy). Instead of the traditional hot espresso shot, we subbed in cold-brew concentrate for a cold variation.
*When you use the OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker, we recommend a 1:4 coffee to water ratio, which will yield a strong concentrate. To make a full serving of concentrate in the Cold Brew Coffee Maker, we recommend 10 oz (284g) of coffee to 40 oz (1200ml) of water. For diluting and serving, we recommend a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 concentrate to water.