Learn about coffee, tea and other hot drink preparation methods and recipes, including brewing coffee/tea/tisane (“herbal tea”) basics and tools, preparation basics for other hot drinks (such as hot chocolate and apple cider), hot beverage additives/mixers (like cream, milk and sugar), and tea- and coffee-based food and cocktail recipes.
These coffee cocktails go beyond basic bartending skills with techniques like making simple syrups, frothing liquids and rimming glasses. They're ideal for special occasions or for upping the ante with your bar skills.
The Mole Coffee-tini Coffee Martini is a basic coffee cocktail spruced up with a specialty garnish -- a spiced sugar, molé bitters and espresso rim.
The Frothy Coffee Cocoa Cocktail is a coffee cocktail for flavored latte fans. It can be vegan/dairy-free or made with milk.
Spiked Ginger Coffee is a spicy, warming alcoholic coffee drink can be sipped straight or on the rocks.
You can make a drink akin to Tia Maria or Kahlua at home. It's less expensive than store-bought coffee liqueur and the recipe can be customized to personal tastes by varying the level of coffee, sugar or vanilla.
This collection of easy-to-make coffee cocktails includes classics (like Irish Coffee) and new drinks (like The Shakes). Each recipe is brimming with flavor, caffeine and alcohol.
This is an epic frou-frou drink... and it's incredibly easy to make.
As a base for more elaborate drinks or a flavorful variation on regular vodka, Quick Coffee Liquor is a fast and easy addition to your coffee/bar menu.
I call this easy coffee martini Mint-Choco Blotto Java. It tastes like it sounds (sweet with sneak-up alcohol) and is a breeze to make.
I call this easy coffee martini The Shakes. Just combine 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce very strong drip coffee and 1/2 ounce Kahlua in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain into a martini glass, and garnish with three coffee beans.
Sambuca and coffee beans is as easy as it gets. Just float three coffee beans in 1-2 ounces Sambuca and serve. Sip slowly as an aperitif or digestif.
These classic B-50 shots all contain equal parts of three spirits: Kahlua coffee liqueur, Bailey's cream liqueur and a third ingredient that varies with the B-51, B-52, B-53 or B-54.
Irish Coffee is the classic coffee cocktail and, some would say, the classic hot cocktail. It's also very easy to make. Here's how.
These coffee cocktails go beyond basic bartending skills with techniques like making simple syrups, frothing liquids and rimming glasses. They're ideal for special occasions or for upping the ante with your bar skills.
This recipe for Brown Sugar Ginger Simple Syrup was created for Spiked Ginger Coffee, but it also tastes great with masala chai and other hot drinks.
This easy-to-make blend is great to have on hand for coffee, tea, cocoa, cocktails and baking. It combines the depth of brown sugar with the spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg and the warmth of vanilla.
Here's how to make some of the easiest, most basic coffee cocktails and shots out there.
This super-quick, super-easy recipe is ideal for a fast cocoa fix at the office, on a camping trip or anywhere else you don’t have access to a full kitchen.
Yin-Yang (a.k.a. “Yuanyang”) is a sweet, creamy coffee/tea mixture that is hugely popular in Hong Kong. Each Yin-Yang maker has his/her own secret recipe, but this version captures the general flavor of this singular beverage.
Creamy Milk Tea is an easy variation on Hong Kong-style milk tea, also known as “pantyhose milk tea” or “silk stocking tea” because it is often brewed in a large tea sock that resembles a pair of pantyhose. It has a smooth, creamy texture and beguilingly sweet, full flavor.
This variation on Coffee with Bailey’s combines the taste of coffee with the spice of masala chai tea and a subtle kick of alcohol.
Mulled apple cider is a perennial cool-weather favorite. This variation turns the spices up to 11 for an extreme version of the classic we know and love.
This dark chocolate cocoa is spiced with orange zest and ginger root for a dazzlingly bold flavor. Serve in small glasses or mugs – a little goes a long way!
This spicy tisane (also known as an “herbal tea” or an “herbal infusion”) is both piquant and sweet. Like “ginger tea” with honey, many people use this kind of spicy tisane to soothe sore throats and warm up during cool weather. This particular infusion is also delicious iced.
Trying to sweeten chilled beverages with granulated sugar is enough to make anyone sour. Simple syrup makes the task easy. This recipe talks about iced black tea, but simple syrup works for any cool beverage. Sweet!
Unlike its powdery cousin (hot cocoa), rich and creamy hot chocolate (a.k.a. "drinking chocolate" or "sipping chocolate") takes genuine effort to make. However, when done well, it’s worth all the work. Here are some insider tips to help you get from a block of chocolate to steaming hot, divinely delicious cups of drinking chocolate.
Turkish coffee is typically served sweet or “bitter” (unsweetened) with no milk. However, it is also often prepared with cardamom, and may even include ingredients like almond extract, cloves and vanilla. This recipe riffs on tradition with an assortment of warming spices.
Making stovetop espresso with a moka pot is made simple with this richly illustrated guide.
The trifecta of coffee, chocolate and alcohol makes this a decadently drinkable cocktail. Layered liqueurs and a dollop of chocolate ice cream make for an impressive presentation, and it can be made in no time flat if you have leftover drip coffee to spare.
Powders, syrups and teabags can never compare to freshly brewed masala chai (a.k.a. “chai tea”). Making it from scratch takes more time, but is infinitely more rewarding. This recipe is a bare bones, basic version of masala chai.
New Orleans black coffee (a.k.a. “Café Noir”) has a distinctive chocolate-caramel flavor, intensely dark color, thick consistency and lower-than-usual caffeine content thanks to its secret ingredient, chicory. According to New Orleans locals, it’s what makes New Orleans coffee worth writing home about.
How to make matcha powder into delicious, smooth green tea in six simple steps.
This savory tea drink makes a rich and flavorful alternative to a Bloody Mary. Pair with heavy weekend brunches or enjoy as a liquid afternoon snack.
Icy, spicy, sweet, caffeine-filled and creamy -- this variation on a Vietnamese favorite is a fantastic coffee treat for sweltering afternoons in summer. Try it as a mid-afternoon energy boost, a barbecue dessert or a frozen alternative to your daily cuppa Joe.
An invigorating, healthy recipe for an iced, blended matcha green tea latte. It's a cool summer treat that's great with breakfast or for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
A lightly sweetened, chilled green-tea and sake punch that's ideal for hot summer evenings.
