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DINING

Spirits of NJ: Coffee cocktails you can make at home

Michael Politz
Correspondent
Jamaican coffee.

Everyone loves to be pampered and enjoy a nice meal out on the town. What makes this experience special is not just the hospitality or the food, but also, of course, the drinks and experience you receive following your meal. 

When someone orders an after-dinner drink, they're either winding down their meal or just getting started on their night!

If you want to make an after-dinner drink at home, you can replicate this pampered experience for yourself or for your guests. The following after-dinner drinks come in handy when you're hosting a dinner party, and require one common ingredient — coffee. 

With minimal effort, these will be the topping on the cake to your home-cooked meal. 

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Irish coffee.

Irish coffee

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh brewed coffee (Keurig coffee is great to use as well)
  • 1 ½ ounce Irish whiskey
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar or 1 brown sugar cube
  • Whipped cream
  • Green Crème de Menthe (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a coffee mug, preheat with hot water and then discard the water (you should do this for all hot drinks to make sure they stay consistently warm).  
  2. Add brown sugar, whiskey and hot coffee and stir.  
  3. Top with whipped cream and garnish whipped cream with crème de menthe if you choose to do so. 

Note: The Nutty Irishman is a play on the classic Irish coffee recipe and can be made the same way as the Irish coffee but by adding 1 ounce Irish cream, 1 ounce hazelnut liqueur and a pinch of ground nutmeg. You can omit the brown sugar and the crème de menthe as well. This is a more liquor-forward version that I personally prefer. 

    Spanish coffee.

    Spanish coffee

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup of coffee
    • 1 ½ ounce Tia Maria (a dark liqueur made originally in Jamaica using Jamaican coffee beans)
    • ½ ounce white rum
    • Whipped cream
    • Luxardo cherries

    Instructions

    1. In a coffee mug, preheat with hot water and then discard the water. 
    2. Add the coffee, white rum and Tia Maria to the preheated mug. 
    3. Top with whipped cream and Luxardo cherries. 
    Mexican coffee.

    Mexican coffee

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup of coffee
    • 1 ½ ounce tequila
    • 1 ½ ounce coffee liqueur
    • 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
    • Ground cinnamon

    Instructions

    1. Add tequila and coffee liqueur to a preheated mug and top with coffee, leaving enough room for the ice cream scoop float.  
    2. Add ice cream and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. 
    Jamaican coffee is made with rum.

    Jamaican coffee

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup of coffee
    • ¾ ounces dark rum
    • 3/4 ounce coffee liqueur
    • Whipped cream

    Instructions

    1. In a coffee mug, preheat with hot water and then discard the water. 
    2. Add the coffee, dark rum and liqueur to the preheated mug. 
    3. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and serve. 

    All of these coffee drinks are easy to make and can be made either regular or decaf. Serve after a great dinner and watch how much these make an impact on the overall meal!

    Columnist Michael Politz

    Michael Politz, a lifelong New Jersey resident, has worked in the restaurant and bar industry for 20 years. He currently bartends at Water and Wine Ristorante, an upscale Italian eatery and bar in Watchung. His beer, wine and liquor column, Spirits of N.J., appears Wednesdays.