Coffee And Gin: Sounds Weird, But You Have To Try It
The pressure is on. Your friend offers you a gin espresso martini, and in a split second, you pull your eyebrows down and have your nose wrinkled (a disgusted face!). Yet you know there are a lot of flavours working well together. But really—can you mix gin with coffee?
Confession time: when we first heard about the coffee and gin combo, we weren’t sold. It sounded weird and not like a good pairing. But we decided to test it out and are glad we did! The gin espresso martini is a fa-brew-lous combo (ok, we’ll stop now).
We experimented with different versions of this gin coffee cocktail guaranteed to inspire you. Today we’ll give you our tested and tried version of a gin espresso martini AND our favourite coffee and gin tonic recipe.
It’s time for brewing and shaking!
Gin Espresso Martini: What You Need
- 50 ml gin
- 1 shot espresso
- 25 ml coffee liqueur
- coffee beans to garnish (optional)
- orange peel to garnish (optional)
At a Glance
Brew time:
5 minutes
Yield:
One serving
How to Make Gin Espresso Martini
Unlike many coffee cocktails with alcohol, coffee and gin tonic is a fairly simple recipe. It resembles a regular espresso martini, but you also need a liqueur (like the Tia Maria coffee liquor).
Here’s how to make a coffee gin recipe step-by-step.
1. Brew Espresso
Start by brewing one shot of espresso using your regular brewing method.
It’s a good idea to chill a cocktail glass in ice-cold water when you’re brewing espresso. This way, the ingredients won’t warm up because of a room-temperature glass (1).
2. Combine the Ingredients
Combine espresso, gin, and coffee liqueur (you can use homemade coffee liqueur) in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. It’s important to shake well to mix the ingredients. If it feels like your arm is getting a workout, you’re doing it right.
Pro tip: You need to shake well to get the crema on top of the gin espresso martini.
3. Strain and Pour
Once you’re done shaking, strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish
Use a few coffee beans and an orange twist to garnish.
Alternative Recipe: Coffee Gin Tonic
While gin espresso martini is our top choice and among our favourite coffee cocktail recipes, we still wonder what goes best with coffee and gin. After conducting experiments, we found that the tonic goes well too! A coffee gin tonic is better if you want slightly bitter notes.
Here’s how to make this alcoholic coffee tonic.
Coffee Gin Tonic: What You Need
- 30 ml gin
- 15 ml syrup (we recommend honey)
- 45 ml cold brew coffee
- Tonic water
- Lemon peel to garnish with
At a glance
Brew time:
12 hours if you’re making cold brew; 5 minutes if you have a cold brew ready
Yield:
1 serving
1. Cool a Glass
Start by cooling a glass. Fill it with ice, leave the ice to melt, and strain out the water. Or, if you’re short on time, put a glass in the fridge for a few minutes.
2. Combine the Ingredients
Combine the coffee, gin, and honey syrup in a chilled glass. Stir to mix the ingredients and top with tonic water. Finally, twist a lemon peel on top to garnish.
Pro tip: Want a really chilled drink? Add more ice.
Final Thoughts
Coffee cocktails are a perfect way to finish dinner. We love sweet cocktails, so we give a slight advantage to the gin espresso martini. However, this is a personal preference, and make sure to try the coffee gin tonic as well.
We guarantee you’ll delight as a barista-slash-bartender with both of these recipes.
FAQ
Yes, gin goes well with coffee. In fact, gin and coffee are a perfect pairing for making coffee cocktails. You can pair espresso and gin or cold brew and gin. Coffee and gin are served in a chilled glass with ice with an orange peel over the top.
Yes, you can mix gin with hot coffee. Gin is usually mixed with Irish coffee. You should preheat a large glass by pouring hot water, leaving it for a minute, and pouring it out. Then you add the gin, amaretto, hot coffee, and sugar. Top with whipped cream, and you have a delicious wintery gin and coffee mix.
Dark alcoholic drinks are good with coffee, such as brandy and whiskey. Coffee also pairs great with tequila and various liqueurs. Mixing coffee with nutty and creamy liqueurs provides the best flavours. For example, mix coffee with amaretto and Irish cream if you want a sweet drink. And if you want a lighter drink, try herbal and fruity ones.
References
- Cocktail Courier. (n.d.). Cocktail Courier. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.cocktailcourier.com/howto/how-to-chill-glassware/
