Most adults rely on coffee to wake them up, boost their energy levels, and help them stay alert and focused during the day. Not to mention, there are so many coffee types and trends that have developed throughout the years to suit your needs and preferences. Among them is hard coffee. If you’re wondering what hard coffee is, you’re in the right place. This article will discuss everything you need to know about Hard coffee, including how to make it. Let’s get started!
What is Hard Coffee
Hard coffee refers to a flavored malt drink that contains a dash of coffee. The beverage is alcoholic such as hard soda and hard seltzer but with caffeine. Usually, you’ll find hard coffee in ready-to-drink cans. The most caffeine you’ll find in these hard coffee cans is less than 50 milligrams.
While hard brew contains coffee, there’s less space for it to shine through the other flavors. Hard coffee has a milky, sweet, and boozy taste. However, the taste of hard coffee varies depending on the individual taste and the hard coffee brand.
How to Make Hard Coffee
If you love trying out different coffee recipes, there are a variety of ways you can enjoy your coffee better. This article will guide you through six different Hard coffee recipes that you can try in the comfort of your home. Read on!
1. Hot Boozy Coffee
Ingredients
- 5-shot brandy
- 5 shot Kahlua
- 5 shot Grand Marnier
- 1 orange peel
- 5 tsp sugar
- 4 to 5 ounces of hot coffee
- 5 cups whipped cream
Instructions
Add the whipped cream into a bowl and whip with a whisk until it becomes soft. Add sugar to the whipped cream to taste. Mix the brandy, Kahlua, and grand Marnier with 4 to 5 ounces of hot coffee in a mug. Lightly burn your orange peel to release oils from it that will flavor the coffee. Stir the coffee mixture using the orange peel then top the mixture with whipped cream and enjoy your hot boozy coffee.
2. El Cafecito
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces of dark rum
- 5 ounces of Cuban coffee liqueur
- Half an ounce dash of simple syrup
- Two dashes of chocolate bitters
Instructions
In a shaker, add all the ingredients and shake them vigorously. Pour the mixture into a glass that contains ice cubes and enjoy your homemade El Cafecito.
3. Iced Irish Coffee
Ingredients
- 2 ounces of Tullamore whiskey
- 2 tsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp ground espresso
- 2 tsp hot water
- 3 ounces cold brew coffee
- Fresh cream
Instructions
Add the whiskey and ground espresso into a bowl. Combine the two ingredients well and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Use a coffee filter to strain the mixture into a cocktail shaker. Add the demerara sugar into hot water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cold brew coffee, the strained mixture, and the sugary solution into a shaker with ice. Shake the liquids well, then pour the mixture into a mug. Top the mixture with fresh cream and enjoy.
4. Winter Wonderland
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz. Christmas Spirit
- 5 oz. espresso
- 5 oz. cacao
- 5 oz. Creme de Menthe
- 5 oz. heavy cream
Instructions
In a shaker, add all the ingredients. Shake the ingredients well and then strain the mixture into a glass with ice. Garnish the mixture with mini candy canes.
5. Colorado Bulldog
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Kahlua
- 1 oz. cream
- 1 oz. vodka
- Cola
Instructions
Mix 1 oz. Kahlua, cream, and vodka. Strain the mixture into a glass with ice. Ensure you don’t fill the glass to the brim. Leave some room and top the mixture with cola.
6. Affogato Martini
Ingredients
- 2 oz. vanilla vodka
- 1 oz. Kahlua
- 5 oz. cream de cocoa
- Vanilla ice cream (A scoop)
Instructions
In a shaker, add vanilla vodka, Kahlua, 3 ice cubes, and cream de cocoa. Shake the ingredients until the mixture is chilled. Pour the mixture into a glass and top it with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy your affogato martini.
What Does Hard Coffee Taste Like?
Hard coffee tastes milky, sweet, and secretly boozy. The taste is more like a mixture between chocolate milk and coffee milk, a brown blend of sweet flavors that have a stinging alcohol sensation coursing through it.
Does Hard Coffee Have Caffeine?
Hard coffee contains caffeine since there’s a dash of coffee in it. However, the caffeine in hard coffee ready-to-drink beverages is below 50 milligrams.
What’s the Ideal Time to Drink Hard Coffee?
Hard coffee is a source of caffeine and a mildly alcoholic beverage. Therefore, you can enjoy hard coffee at any time of the day so long as you drink it in moderation. Unlike a regular cup of joe, hard coffee is a mixture of alcohol and caffeine. Drinking too much hard coffee will boost your energy levels as a result of the high amounts of caffeine. However, you can also end up consuming too much alcohol which may affect your productivity. Therefore, it can be risky to drink too much hard coffee.
What’s the Difference Between Hard Coffee and Coffee Liqueur?
While hard coffee and coffee liqueur have similar basic concepts, they are different. Hard coffee uses a base that’s malt. On the other hand, the coffee liqueur is flexible with the alcohol used.
How Do Hard Coffee and Hard Seltzer Differ?
Hard coffee consists of alcohol, coffee flavorings or coffee, and sugar. On the other hand, hard seltzers consist of alcohol, fruit flavoring, and sparkling water.
Conclusion
If you’re clueless about where to start with making hard coffee, use this article as a guide. Hard coffee is easy to make at home and it’s great for a pick-me-up and as a relaxant. What’s more, making different types of hard coffee at home gives you a whole new coffee experience. Therefore, feel free to experiment with the different examples of hard coffee that we’ve discussed. You’ll be surprised how mixing simple ingredients can make your coffee refreshing.
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