If you're the sort of superstitious person who won't walk under a ladder or open an umbrella indoors, the realisation that Friday the 13th 2022 is only a matter of hours away will probably have you trembling with fear. But on this occasion at least, there's no need to worry, because this Friday isn't just Friday the 13th… it's also World Cocktail Day!
A global celebration of the most fabulous and flamboyant of all drinks, World Cocktail Day takes place on May 13th every year to commemorate the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail way back in 1806.
In honour of this momentous day, we've picked out our top five coffee cocktail recipes for you to try at home. But first, some advice!
1) The key to good coffee cocktails is the coffee, so take the time to brew the best, richest coffee you can.
2) The following recipes are all extremely tasty but, in larger doses, caffeine + alcohol = headache, so please drink in moderation!
Black Russian
An all-time classic, Black Russians taste like fancy desserts and are guaranteed to give you an energy boost. Perfect as an after dinner drink, they're also incredibly simple to make. Okay, the recipe calls for coffee liqueur rather than actual coffee but let's not cut our delicious nose off to spite our face.
Ingredients
To make a Black Russian, you will need:
50ml vodka
25ml coffee liqueur
ice
1 maraschino cherry
Just pour the vodka and coffee liqueur into a tumbler filled with ice and stir until well chilled, then add the cherry and serve.
Kentucky Whipped Coffee
Much as we enjoy an Irish coffee, this southern-fried variant is sweeter, smoother and enhances the coffee flavour, making it the perfect cocktail for true, moustache-twirling coffee aficionados.
Ingredients
To make a Kentucky Whipped Coffee, you will need:
4 tsp sugar
50ml bourbon
1 cup of fresh espresso coffee
Double cream
Place the sugar and bourbon in a mug, then stir until thoroughly combined. Fill the mug with the coffee, then pour on a good dollop of cream via the back of a spoon to finish.
Dark Mint Dream Cocktail
For a refreshing twist on the coffee cocktail, this minty little number is chilled, indulgent and a dream come true for fans of iced coffee.
Ingredients
To make a Dark Mint Dream Cocktail, you will need:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
9 large mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 1/2 fl oz white rum
1 fl oz espresso
1 fl oz heavy cream
3/4 fl oz mint simple syrup
1 fl oz club soda
Whipped cream, for garnish
Start by making a syrup. Put the sugar, water and 5 mint leaves in a saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and cover. Leave it to steep for 20 mins, then remove the mint leaves and allow to cool completely.
Next, place the 4 remaining mint leaves in a cocktail shaker and gently mash with a wooden spoon (or muddler, if you have one). Add the rum, espresso, cream and syrup, fill with ice and shake well. Pour straight into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Top with club soda, then garnish with whipped cream and the sprig of mint.
Café Royal
This low-alcohol drink is richer but less sweet than most other coffee-based cocktails, making it the perfect option for lazy afternoons spent in the garden.
Ingredients
To make a Café Royal, you will need:
15ml coffee liqueur
1 cup of fresh espresso coffee
Whipped cream
Cocoa powder
First, warm a coffee mug by filling it with boiling hot water. Leave it to sit for a few minutes, then pour the water out. Pour in the coffee liqueur and fill to within one inch of the top of the mug with the coffee. Top with the whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.
Espresso Martini
No list of coffee-based cocktails would be complete without this British-born showstopper. First appearing in Soho in the '80s, Espresso Martinis are now so popular that London hosts an annual five-day festival to celebrate them!
Ingredients
To make an Espresso Martini, you will need:
50g golden caster sugar
ice
50ml vodka
25ml freshly brewed espresso coffee
25ml coffee liqueur
2 coffee beans
Begin by making a simple sugar syrup - put the caster sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, pour in 25ml water, stir and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Meanwhile, put a martini glass in the fridge to chill
As soon as the syrup is cool, pour ½ tbsp into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice, the vodka, coffee liqueur and espresso. Shake until the cocktail shaker feels cold in your hands, then strain into the chilled glass and garnish with the coffee beans.
Let Cafe2U come to your rescue this Friday 13th
At Cafe2U, the only thing that scares us is you running out of coffee, so our baristas will be out and about on the roads as normal on World Cocktail Day. If you're trying one of our recipes but need some top quality coffee to do it justice, contact your nearest Cafe2U van here and we'll deliver some right to your doorstep.