Coffee Connoisseur's Delight: 8 Irresistible Coffee Liqueurs You Need to Try

Coffee cocktails thrive all year round with respective summer and winter favourites - the Espresso Martini and Irish Coffee. Often overlooked are the coffee liqueurs that mix so well into not just these, but all varieties of coffee cocktails, shots/shooters and even just as sippers over ice. Today, we’ve carefully curated a selection of the finest coffee liqueurs, and even one or two coffee spirits for the sake of variety (and because they’re too good to leave out).

If you love artisan coffee, don’t miss out on these eight irresistible coffee liqueurs, in no particular order…

Thomas Green’s Specialty Coffee Liqueur 

When legendary Leeds bars Domino Club and Rolands had to close their doors due to Covid in 2020, brothers and bar masterminds Alex and Johnathon began crafting their own high quality spirits and liqueurs. Thomas Green’s (named after one of Leeds’ first coffee shops) is the result of this now highly successful venture. Perfect for an Espresso Martini or just sipping over ice. They achieve their deep rich coffee flavour from local coffee roasters Shilo, who use a cold brew extraction that the brothers mix with their own vodka. 

ABV: 25%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £20.55

Cazcabel Coffee Liqueur

Multi-award winning tequila masters, Cazcabel have their very own coffee liqueur. You’ll find this at bars all over the country, best served neat and straight from the freezer. This coffee liqueur is particularly rich, decedent and heavy on the chocolate notes of coffee. Their liqueur is made from their Blanco Tequila, crafted in Jalisco Mexico, which shines through the sweetness of this bartender’s choice liqueur. Use this as a sipper, or maybe try it in a Coffee Margarita - the blend of citrus and coffee is exquisite! 

ABV: 34%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £25.99

Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur

Mr Black have been at the forefront of coffee liqueur innovation since their conception in 2013, crafted by their lead distiller, Philip Moore. This premium bottle boasts rich coffee flavour and less sugar, making it perfect for balancing an amazing espresso martini. Their Australian distillery doubles as their very own coffee roastery, which sources beans from Ethiopia and Brazil. The attention to detail in each bottle of Mr Black Coffee Liqueur makes this a worthy addition to any mixologist's collection. Cocktails aren’t your thing? Mr Black will be perfect over ice on a hot day for any true coffee lover. Pro zero waste tip: this bottle makes a particularly beautiful DIY lamp or decoration when you inevitably finish every last drop.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 23%
Find here: £29.89

Mouse Kingdom Coffee Liqueur

Manchester’s own Mouse Kingdom define themselves as an ethical, considerate and bartender led brand. Their beans (sourced from various countries and roasted in local roastery “heart and graft”) are extracted in a French press for over 48 hours to create an immensely potent and characterful coffee that they blend with their own English wheat vodka. 

The label on this bottle changes every 1500 sold, and they pay local bartender artists to feature on their new label. Everything from the balance of their liqueur to the actual bottle itself is designed to be perfect for bartenders mixing up hundreds of Espresso Martinis a day. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 20%
Find here: £29.89

Luxardo Espresso Liqueur

It takes 30 whole days to infuse the flavour of Arabica coffee into Luxardo’s Espresso Liqueur. Luxardo has a huge influence on the wider drinks industry, and is still a family owned business operating out of Italy. If there's one thing Italy is known for, it is a history and expertise with coffee, and this local passion shines through in Luxardo’s Espresso Liqueur. This coffee liqueur is also vegan friendly and comes in at a higher ABV than many of its competitors, making for a punchier coffee note in a classic Espresso Martini.  

Size: 700ml 
ABV: 27%
Find here: £21.75

Masons Espresso Vodka

Now for something very different - Masons Espresso Vodka offers a dry alternative to the traditionally sweet coffee liqueur. This is a perfect coffee spirit for sippers who want all of the coffee flavour, without any of the sugar. The vodka is “vapour infused” (often used to infuse botanicals into gin) using beans from El Salvador, and works as the perfect base spirit for an espresso martini. Sub the regular vodka for this and see your classic cocktail elevated to new heights! 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £27.44

St. George Spirits’ Nola Coffee Liqueur

Image credit: Karl Steuk

California based purveyor of great spirits, St. George offers up this fantastic coffee liqueur, potent on the nose with notes of plum and dates, and a profound, modern tartness on the palette that you may find in most high end coffee shops. Beyond the coffee, Nola blend their coffee with chicory root and Madagascan vanilla to balance out the more bitter flavours and create a rounded, luscious and almost herbal coffee liqueur. This is a truly unique liqueur and one for the lovers of slightly more tart, herbal coffee. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 25%
Find here: £36.95

(One to Watch!) Black Gold Coffee Cafe XO

This soon-to-be-launched coffee tequila won the gold award at the recent Spirits Business Tequila & Mezcal awards and it’s easy to see why! We managed to get our hands on a bottle and can confirm the hype! Mexico is a global coffee powerhouse and all that heritage is here, combined with their most famous spirit. It’s so warming, with heavy toasted coffee notes that coat the tongue. We always welcome more sustainable brands on the market, and with their all recycled bottles, Black Gold is sure to impress. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 34%
Where to Find: Black Gold Cafe XO will be available on Amazon, retailing at £30

You’ve got the best coffee liqueurs, but what about the best vodka for the most famous coffee cocktail - the Espresso Martini! Make the ultimate cocktail with these great vodka recommendations.

By Miley Kendrick

What is Liqueur?

You’ve definitely seen them around, and you might even have some at home! Liqueurs are everywhere in our modern world, and we can see them being used in multitudes of cocktails, or sometimes even sipped on their own. The number of liqueurs continues to grow, and grow it should, as with every new liqueur comes a new, exciting cocktail.

What Is A Liqueur?

A liqueur is essentially a distilled spirit that has been sweetened with sugar or syrup. It can also be flavoured with ingredients such as herbs, spices, fruit, cream, flowers, nuts and sometimes even vegetables! The higher sugar content means they’re often much sweeter than a typical distilled spirit, however, some liqueurs can be bitter, sharp, tart, herbaceous… the list goes on.

Which Liqueurs Are Best?

Of course, with so much choice comes the inevitable anxiety of which ones to choose and which ones to chuck. To help you out with those difficult decisions, we’ve put together a list of liqueurs we think are definitely worth a place in your bar cart. Whilst they are bold enough to be drunk on their own, they also make a great addition to a cocktail, so, if you like the sound of them, why not try out the cocktails we’ve included below?

Cointreau

Cointreau is a zesty, fresh and fruity orange liqueur, and it’s used in a TON of cocktails. This is a liqueur you definitely need to have on hand, even as an amateur mixologist. One infamously delicious cocktail made with Cointreau is the Margarita, which is actually quite simple to make. Our only condition is that you DO NOT salt the rim of the Margarita glass, why waste the great flavour of tequila and Cointreau?

Ingredients
50ml blanco tequila
25ml freshly squeezed lime juice
25ml Cointreau
lime wedge for garnish 

Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a rocks glass with ice with no salt(!) and garnish with a wedge of lime.

ABV: 40%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £25.95 // US $60.99

Kahlúa

Kahlúa is by far the most popular coffee liqueur out there, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to find this at a supermarket. There are other coffee liqueurs out there (very good ones too), but we love a classic, especially when it’s good value for money! It shines brightest in our favourite coffee cocktail, the darling Espresso Martini but tastes equally as good simply mixed with milk!

Ingredients
40ml vodka
25ml Kahlúa coffee liqueur
25ml espresso
½ tbsp simple syrup
three coffee beans, for garnish 

Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with three coffee beans. Enjoy!

ABV: 16%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £18.75 // US $30.99

Chambord

Chambord is a brilliant french liqueur made with black raspberries, Madagascan vanilla and Moroccan citrus peels steeped in cognac and sweetened with honey. It’ll bring a pre-French Revolution decadence to any cocktail you grace it with, and what better ingredient to serve it with than champagne! This cocktail is fabulous and indulgent, just what the stunning bottle deserves.

Ingredients
30ml Chambord
glass of champagne or sparkling wine
raspberry, for garnish 

Method
This is a SUPER simple cocktail. Add a shot of Chambord to a champagne flute and top up with champagne or sparkling wine (we’re loving English sparkling at the moment)! Garnish with a raspberry for a fruity but classy cocktail.

ABV: 16.5%
Size: UK 700ml // US 375ml
Find here: UK £27.60 // US $27.99

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

The taste of elderflower has long been a dear friend of the English palate, with elderflower cordials and syrups popping up all over the place. If you’re looking for something with that same delicate, floral sweetness with a boozy edge - St. Germain is for you. If you’re not convinced by the delicious taste, perhaps the elegant bottle will entice you! The cocktail we’ve chosen is the ‘English Martini’, full of botanicals and florals.

Ingredients
60ml dry gin
25ml St. Germain liqueur
½ fresh rosemary sprig
rosemary sprig for garnish

Method

Take the leaves off the rosemary sprig and muddle them in the bottle of a cocktail shaker. Add the other ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a coupe chilled coupe and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

ABV: 20%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £29 // US $50.99

Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur

Irish cream liqueur over ice, what could be more satisfying? Irish cream liqueur is made from a mixture of Irish whiskey, Irish dairy cream, chocolate and vanilla and is used in a variety of creamy cocktails. Bailey’s is the original Irish cream liqueur so deserves to be honoured in this list. They’re now creating many variations of the original liqueur which are worth experimenting with! As the colder months are closing in, spiced cocktails are the perfect evening treat, so we’ve chosen a spiced Irish cream cocktail for you to enjoy!

Ingredients
1½ oz Bailey’s Original
¼ oz spiced rum
grated nutmeg for garnish 

Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled rocks glass and carefully grate or shake nutmeg over the top.

ABV: 17%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £15.43 // US $24.99

Créme de Menthe (De Kuyper)

Créme de Menthe is a sweet mint liqueur that tastes fairly close to if the strawberry cream out of Quality Street was a mint cream instead. Or perhaps an After Eight. Either will do, we’re just hungry for Christmas chocolate… With Créme de Menthe, you can either go for a white (colourless) version or a green version. We love a green version, purely for the theatre of it all! To showcase this green lean liqueur machine, we’ve gone for a Grasshopper cocktail (which looks STUNNING).

Ingredients
25ml De Kuyper Creme de Menthe
25ml creme de cacao
25ml single cream
mint sprig for garnish 

Method
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a sprig of mint. Your friends will be green with envy!

ABV: 24%
Size: UK 500ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £14.62 // US $23.99  

Drambuie

If Scotland were a liqueur, it would be Drambuie. Drambuie is a whisky liqueur made with Scotch whisky, heather, herbs and spices. One sip will transport you to the blustery Highlands where you may or may not find yourself unexpectedly wearing a kilt. For Drambuie, we’ve chosen ‘The Lion’s Mouth’ cocktail. It’s bitter but has light, floral notes.

Ingredients
1 oz Drambuie
1 oz bourbon
2 dashes of grapefruit bitters
lemon twist for garnish

 Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until ice cold. Strain over ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a twist of lemon!

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £28.60 // US $59.99

The above is by no means exhaustive - there are plenty more liqueurs out there just waiting to be tried so if you find any you think should definitely be on this list, let us know via our social @thethreedrinkers! For now though, why not check out What is Vermouth? or The Best Gin for a G&T.

Luxury Epicurean & Sensory Gifts for a Perfect Christmas

Although we are big fans of all things drink at 3DHQ, we love a nice scented candle or a quirky drinks related calendar too. Here are some of our favourite picks this festive season…

Parks Luxury Scented Candles

There’s nothing quite like the luxury of an incredible smelling home and being massively into our aromas, we love Parks candles. Made sustainably with 100% natural wax with a range of options from small to large, Parks offer fragrances across all aromatic ranges from citrus, spicy and fruity to woody and floral. Our favourites are the Nordic Spruce, which fills your home with the aroma of Christmas trees and the Cinnamon and Clove candle. They’re Christmas all over!

Find here: £5 - £75

Book: The Art of Whisky - Black Edition

A splash-out gift for whisky lovers in the form of a simply stunning art book, which takes readers on a breathtaking visual tour of whisky production. Only 1000 copies were made, numbered and hand bound in leather before being presented in a bespoke leather and suede slipcase. Understated yet sophisticated, this stylish tome would not look out of place in any contemporary or classic interior. If you’re feeling really fly, there’s a copper edition too for £1,250. Let us know if you would like our address to pop one over… 

Find here: £450

N25 Caviar

Aidy discovered N25 this year while on the hunt for some fabulous caviar for his 30th birthday. Let’s just say he wasn’t disappointed! As far as selection goes, they have everything you could ask for and more... Baerii, Hybrid, Oscietra, Schrenckii, Kaluga, Beluga, Almas and Albino. See, you’ve probably never seen that many choices! The crème de la crème is their signature caviar; Kaluga. Cousin of the famous Beluga caviar, this could quite possibly be the rarest sturgeon in existence. There is also Almas and Albino Beluga which elevate the experience visually too thanks to their yellow and white colours. With 24 hour shipping throughout Europe and the fact they sell Krug like it’s on tap alongside a variety of super quality seafood such as lobster – you’re in good hands.

Find here: From 57 Euro

Phillips hue lights

I was first introduced to Philips Hue about 5 years ago and it has changed my life. We often disregard just how important lighting is and the affect it has on our moods. Philips Hue hits every colour on the colour spectrum and comes in a variety of lightbulbs for existing fighting, standalone lamps and even strip lighting. You can create a variety of ambient lighting moods for waking up to give you energy, peace-time for a little midday meditation or nap time and as the evening rolls around to calm your senses and get you ready for a good night’s sleep. Their app allows you to control everything seamlessly via smart devices such as Google and Alexa and there is a plethora of in-app functions to get the most out of your tech. I cannot recommend these more highly. 

Ranging from £25

Glencairn Gin Goblets

The maker of the world’s favourite whisky glass, Glencairn Crystal, has launched the ultimate gin drinking vessel: The Gin Goblet! Using their famous Mixer Glass as a starting point, the Glencairn design team carefully considered the needs of the gin drinker, the bar staff and the distillers, giving it a unique lip for easy drinking, a curved top to enhance aroma, an elegant stem to keep your hand away from warming the gin and a smaller bowl to require less ice and stop the gin from being diluted. You can also have them personalised with hand engraving.

Find them here: £10 each

Mostly Foodie Days of 2021 Calendar

A must for content creators or anyone with kids, this vibrant calendar captures just about all the food and drink days of 2021. It looks brilliant on the wall too! You can get it in A2 or even A1 size and while you’re at it, pick up some super cute legoman greetings cards. 

Find here: £15 A2/ £50 A1

Coravin Pivot

The Coravin Pivot is a new, entry level device from Coravin that extends the life of your everyday wines for up to a month! No more wasted bottles. It works by replacing the air in the bottle with inert Argon gas, kept in by a rubber stopper. It’s brilliant value at its introductory offer of £99 and one to start with before graduating to its more elaborate systems. We recommend you get a few extra rubber stoppers too.

Find here: £99

Geo Glass Gold Tumblers 

A gorgeous twin pack of metallic edged, hand-blown tumbler glasses that are modern and minimalistic with a vintage twist. We love these with Negronis and Old Fashioned cocktails, but anything with a mixer will look super swish in these! Perfect for the mixology fiend in your life and to bring to life your own home bar.

Find them here: £28 for 2

Click & Grow Indoor Smart Garden

The past year has been… yes, we won’t even go there. While 99% of the population took up making banana bread, those with gardens decided to plant flowers and herbs – how successful they were is another story. While we weren’t all lucky enough to have an outdoor space to unwind, Click & Grow have brought the greenery to us! This revolutionary technology is like an indoor greenhouse, allowing you to grow seed to plant or flower in as little as two weeks. Tried and tested, we can happily swear by it.

Find here: From $99.95

Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur

Taking Australian coffee culture into the night, where it is so much more than just a drink. Mr Black was born out of a love of perfect coffee and great distilling put together for a good time! This one is concentrated just like a great espresso and has a hint of caramel sweetness on the finish. As well as single bottles, they offer a range of gifting options such as an Espresso Martini set (£39.99), a festive Espresso Martini set (with booze for £65) or the Mr. Black Holy Trinity: three bottles of their best; their iconic coffee liqueur, their single origin Colombia liqueur and their Amaro version.

Find here: £25.99 - £29.99

Don’t miss our wine, cocktails and no-low gift guides too!

Hot Sauce by Dunstan’s Recipes

Those who make hot sauce well have achieved a somewhat cult status in their field over recent years. Welcome to a new mover and shaker in this market - and absolutely one to watch! Dunstan’s Recipes is a family run, luxury condiments business with a focus on spice and a deep love of complex flavours. The owners, brothers Oscar and Alex Dunstan, started the business from scratch and are quickly building a name for themselves at farmers markets and selling to their local community. They now ship world wide! Try their premium sauce ‘Toxic Masculinity’ (£10) if you like it uber spicy with a blend of Scotch Bonnet and Naga Bhut Jolokia. For those looking for a gentler blend, try ‘Humbug’ (£5), for a hot, Christmassy take on cranberry sauce.

Price: £5 - 10 for 170g

Find it here.

White Russian

Whether it be summer and you don’t fancy a dessert but still want something sweet, or winter when you want to curl up in front of the fire with a good drink, this cocktail really is a hug in a glass that suites all occasions. Use a decaf coffee liqueur and it won’t keep you up all night too!

Ingredients

60ml Vodka (we recommend Belvedere / The Oxford Artisan Distillery)
30 ml Coffee liqueur (or Kahlúa). Conker Cold Brew is an excellent decaf version
15ml Cream

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together.

2. Put some ice cubes in a small tumbler and pour the cocktail over the top.

3. Garnish with some coffee beans or sprinkle over some chocolate powder if you’re feeling fancy!

 N.B. If you want to make a decaf version of this cocktail you can mix decaf coffee and sugar syrup together to taste and add instead of the coffee liqueur