All the Ways to Coffee Your Cocktail

“It’s a transitional drink,” says Tristan Willey, co-founder of Good Vodka, of the Espresso Martini. This is true of all coffee cocktails, whether that transition is from day to night with that monster of a drink, or, as the seasons change, from refreshing, warm-weather coffee cocktails to warming one’s hands with a steaming cup of espresso-based Livorno Punch. 

There is more than one way to caffeinate your cocktail. Here are our favorites.

For the most potent dose of fresh coffee flavor, turn to espresso. The Espresso Martini is an obvious choice to feature the brew; while modern recipes call for cold brew or flavored liqueur, all three of our favorite recipes in a tasting of several versions stuck with espresso. 

For the easiest espresso-plus-booze combinations, turn to the caffeinated cocktails of history. There’s the Mexico City party drink that hails from the 19th century, the carajillo, made by pouring espresso and the Licor 43 over ice. And even before that, there was the 17th-century protococktail from Italy, Livorno Punch, a steamy combination of espresso, spiced rum, sugar and a lemon twist.