Oaxacan Coffee

Fans of tequila, Scotch whisky or Irish coffee will smack their lips when you serve them a warm, mezcal-spiked Oaxacan coffee.

The first time I sipped mezcal, I was hooked. I adore smoky foods, from cheddar cheese to Scotch whisky, so I felt right at home with mezcal. It quickly became one of my favorite alcohols to sip neat and mix into drinks, from mezcal margaritas to Oaxacan coffee cocktails—a riff on Irish coffee that’ll provide you with a kick of caffeine in the evening (and a buzz to boot).

To create the right balance for this smoky drink, use a joven (young) mezcal and freshly ground, medium-roast Mexican coffee to let the agave flavors shine through. A little sweetness and a dash of chocolate bitters round out this simple cocktail, which benefits from a dollop of freshly whipped cream when served hot like Irish coffee.

Ingredients for Oaxacan Coffee

• Coffee: When choosing the type of coffee to use in a cocktail, it’s more important to select one for its flavor and aroma than the amount of caffeine it has. Simply put, choose a brew that won’t overpower the mezcal. A medium roast—made with beans grown in Mexico if you want to stick with flavors from the region—hits the sweet spot. It’s less acidic than light roast and less likely to mask the mezcal than a dark roast. Grind and brew the beans just before you make the cocktail for the freshest flavor.
• Simple syrup: Simple syrup is a secret cocktail ingredient—just sugar dissolved in water—that you’ll want to keep on hand. Instead of using granulated sugar, you’ll use brown sugar because the molasses plays well with mezcal and coffee. Make it like you would any simple syrup: Heat equal parts brown sugar and water and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Mezcal: Like tequila, mezcal ranges from young to heavily aged, with prices typically rising accordingly. American stores have expanded their mezcal selections in recent years, but you’ll still find fewer options when compared to tequila. Choose a bottle marked “joven” as your starting point, and then experiment with other brands and variations from there.
• Mole bitters: Mole bitters infuse high-proof alcohol with cacao nibs, chili and spices. Just a couple of drops have a big impact on this Oaxacan coffee cocktail. Look for mole bitters in a specialty food shop or well-stocked liquor store. If you can only find chocolate bitters, dice a dried ancho chile pepper, add it to the jar and infuse the bitters for a couple of days.
• Whipped cream: Homemade sweetened whipped cream works better than store-bought whipped topping because you can stop beating before it becomes stiff. To play up this cocktail’s other flavors, beat 1 tablespoon of brown sugar simple syrup into 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream until it’s light and airy.
• Cinnamon: Any ground cinnamon garnish will immediately hit your tongue with rich spiciness, but choose Mexican Ceylon cinnamon for lighter yet more complex sweetness. This type of cinnamon grinds easily into a fine powder and gives horchata its classic flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the glass

Fill an 8-ounce coffee mug with hot water and let it sit until warm. Pour out the water.

Editor’s Tip: Coffee mugs are perfect for Oaxacan coffee cocktails because they’re already meant to hold coffee, but a clear coffee mug would be even better. Otherwise, Irish coffee glasses show off the creamy topping, while their short stems and curved handles make hot coffee cocktails easier to hold.

Step 2: Sweeten the coffee

Immediately pour the hot coffee into the warmed glass. Add the brown sugar simple syrup and stir to dissolve it.

Step 3: Add the alcohol

Stir in the mezcal and bitters coffee.

Editor’s Tip: Bitters are essentially high-octane liquid spice, and they play the same role in cocktails that extracts like vanilla and almond do in baking. It’s easy to go overboard, so make sure that the insert in the bitters bottle that releases just a drop at a time is in place, or use a separate dropper.

Step 4: Garnish the cocktail

Top the coffee mixture with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle the whipped cream with cinnamon. Serve the Oaxacan coffee immediately.

Editor’s Tip: Beat the whipped cream just until you can scoop a pillowy spoonful onto the cocktail. It should be just thick enough to sit as a separate layer atop the coffee so that you notice the contrasts of temperature, flavor and texture as you sip.

Oaxacan Coffee Variations

• Use a sugar cube: If you don’t have simple syrup at the ready, sweeten this beverage with a cube of brown or Demerara sugar. You’ll need to stir longer to dissolve it into the hot coffee, so the finished cocktail will lose some of its warmth.
• Make it darker: Pair aged mezcal with dark-roast coffee or espresso for a bolder cocktail. A bottle with intensely smoky flavor will stand up better to robust beans than unaged mezcal.
• Change the toppers: Instead of whipped cream, use the steaming wand on your espresso machine or a handheld milk frother to make a foam topping. You can also sprinkle the drink with freshly ground nutmeg or fine cocoa powder rather than cinnamon.
• Serve it cold: Refrigerate the coffee until it’s completely chilled, then mix the cocktail as usual in a mixing glass or liquid measuring cup. Fill a 12-ounce glass with ice and pour the coffee mixture over it. Top it with a spoonful of whipped cream, or immediately pour in heavy cream and serve it without stirring. The straight cream will slowly sink into the iced cocktail, enriching it.

How to Store Oaxacan Coffee

This Oaxacan coffee cocktail doesn’t store well, but the separate components do. Keep ground coffee fresh by storing it in an airtight container in the freezer. Mezcal and bitters will keep indefinitely when stored in a cool, dark and dry place. If your bottle has a cork, store it upright to keep the cork from degrading. Make the simple syrup ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Freshly whipped cream is airiest, you can whip it in advance if you add a stabilizing spoonful of dry milk powder. That way, the whipped cream will hold its shape fairly well for a few days in the fridge.

Oaxacan Coffee Tips

What can you serve with Oaxacan coffee?

Serve Oaxacan coffee on its own as an after-dinner coffee upgrade. Nibble squares of your favorite chocolate bar while you sip, or make chocolate truffles as a showy pairing for guests. Chocolate-and-cheese boards featuring milk chocolate and creamy Brie or dark chocolate and nutty, salty Parmigiano Reggiano will be picked clean when served with this hot cocktail. Offer the spiked coffee with dunkable pastelitos de boda (traditional Mexican cookies coated in powdered sugar) or conchas (fluffy sweet bread pastries). For a full dessert course, serve Oaxacan coffee with rich flourless chocolate cake or velvety chocolate mousse.