Fall in Texas is full of warm, golden days that explode into glorious sunsets that gently fade into clear, star-freckled nights…unless it happens to be a day that the wind screams down from the North Pole, bringing bone-chilling cold that makes you want to retreat to a blanket fort with a carafe of coffee and a good book.
Either way, a coffee cocktail is the perfect adult beverage for Texas’s crazy October moods. There are hot versions to warm you up (hello Irish Coffee) and chilly versions to cool you down; either way the caffeine buzz is the perfect antidote for sleepy evenings when you are supposed to be attending to the incessant stream of trick-or-treaters that come to your door.
Here are a couple of coffee cocktails to inspire you along with some tips to help you create java drinks that rival your favorite mixologist’s. Cheers, y’all!
Tips for Perfect Coffee Cocktails:
- Be sure to serve coffee cocktails either piping hot or ice cold, never lukewarm! For chilled drinks, the cold brewed coffees work extremely well.
- Rum, whiskey, vodka, bourbon, and reposado tequila are all good spirits to combine with coffee.
- Consider the flavored vodkas to change it up; caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch are some that work well.
- Use frozen coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice for your coffee drinks to keep them from being diluted.
- Since you will be mixing that coffee with other ingredients make it a little stronger than usual; espresso works well.
- Consider adding a coffee twist to the traditional cocktails that you love such as a coffee martini, coffee old-fashioned, etc.
Brazilian Coffee Cocktail | Makes 2 Cocktails

This refreshing espresso cocktail uses dark rum to add depth and kick – change it up by mixing some finely grated chocolate in with the espresso to rim the glass.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chilled espresso
- 3 ounces dark rum
- 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, plus a tablespoon for the rims
- Coffee ice cubes
- Ground espresso beans, for the rims of the glasses
- 2 “on-the-rocks” glasses
Instructions
- Place 1 tablespoon of the sweetened condensed milk on a saucer.
- Place the ground espresso on another saucer.
- Dip the rims of the glasses into the sweetened condensed milk then roll in the ground espresso beans. Set aside.
- Combine the espresso, rum, remaining sweetened condensed milk, and the coffee ice cubes in a shaker. Shake well.
- Divide the cocktail between the two glasses.
- Add more coffee ice cubes as needed.
Mexican Coffee | Makes 2 Cocktails

Tequila is not usually associated with cocktails, but smooth reposado tequila is perfect in this comforting Mexican coffee!
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot, strong coffee
- 1 tablespoon superfine or regular granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground roasted cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper
- Chocolate syrup
- 2 ounces coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua
- 1 ounce tequila
- Whipped cream
- Cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- In a saucer, mix the sugar, cinnamon, and ancho chile powder.
- Pour a little of the chocolate syrup in another saucer and dip the rims of the two glass coffee cups in it (such as the kind used for Irish Coffee).
- Roll the chocolate covered rims in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
- Squeeze a little of the chocolate syrup around the bottom and inside of the glass.
- Add the coffee liqueur and tequila.
- Carefully add the hot coffee, top with whipped cream, and dust with more of the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
- Serve hot.