Six Ways to Dress Up Your After Dinner Coffee

Six Ways to Dress Up Your After Dinner Coffee

Turn your everyday coffee into a sophisticated after-dinner treat to grace your holiday table. These alcoholic coffee drink variations are the perfect way to finish off an elegant holiday dinner. Each drink starts with a 5 oz. cup of hot, brewed coffee. Choose one variation to serve or provide an assortment of toppings and liqueurs so your guests can customize their own coffees.

Cafe Galliano

• 1 shot Galliano

Sweet and spicy with a hint of licorice and cinnamon, Galliano is a traditional Italian holiday coffee addition. Choose a bold, dark roast with hints of spice and serve alongside a plate of pizzelles to offset the richness of the coffee.

Pour shot of liqueur into the coffee cup. Add coffee and top with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

Cafe Tequila

• 1 shot Tequila
• 1 cube sugar

Give your coffee a Southwestern kick with a shot of your favorite tequila. Choose a coffee from the Oaxaca region of Mexico with fruity and chocolate flavor notes and serve with a plate of crumbly Mexican wedding cookies

Pour shot of tequila into the coffee cup. Drop in one sugar cube and allow it to soak up the liquor while the coffee brews. Add hot coffee and serve black, with freshly whipped cream on the side for those who want to add it.

Caffe Amaretto

• 1 shot Amaretto di Sarronno

Add a little love to your after-dinner coffee with a shot of Amaretto, the flavor of love. Choose a fresh-roasted espresso blend to complement the sweetness of the almond flavor, or emphasize it with the delicate sweetness of an organic Peruvian coffee. Serve with fresh cream puffs or Italian pastry.

Pour hot, brewed coffee into a cup. Gently float a shot of Amaretto on top. Top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream garnished with grated chocolate.

Irish Coffee

• 1 shot Irish whiskey
• Whipped cream

Irish coffee is a classic spirited coffee drink, and there are nearly as many ways to make it as there are bartenders. The mellow, earthy and spicy notes of an Indian coffee are the perfect complement to the bite of good Irish whiskey. Serve with cheesecake or a rich panna cotta.

Gently warm the whiskey and pour 1 shot into a coffee cup. Add hot coffee to within 1/2-inch of the top of the cup. Top with mounds of whipped cream.

Cafe Ole

• 1 shot Tia Maria
• ground cinnamon

The sweet, smoky blend of flavors in Tia Maria liqueur is the perfect complement to a balanced South American coffee from Colombia or Brazil. Serve it with tiramisu to bring out the rich sweetness of both the dessert and the coffee.

Pour a shot of Tia Maria into a coffee cup. Add coffee and top with whipped cream. Dust with ground cinnamon.

Mocha Kiss

• 1 shot white creme de cacao
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 chocolate kiss

Whip up a special treat for the chocolate lovers at your dinner party. Chocolate and coffee always work together, but the chocolate and spice flavors of a Sumatran or Mocha Java make them a natural for mocha drinks. Serve with chocolate cream or peanut butter cup pie.

Place the unwrapped chocolate kiss in the bottom of a glass. Add hot coffee to within half an inch of the top of the glass. Whip cream with 1 teaspoon of creme de cacao. Add the remainder of the shot to the hot coffee. Top with flavored whipped cream and garnish with grated chocolate.