Coffee
Brewed coffee used as an ingredient rather than as a mixer, and the extraction method decides what it brings to a drink. Espresso, cold brew and filter are three different ingredients that happen to come from the same bean.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Roasted coffee aroma with bitter-sweet depth, cocoa undertones, and varying acidity depending on roast and extraction. Clean when fresh, harsh when stale.
Recommended Brands
Budget Choice
Supermarket medium-roast ground: fine where the coffee is a supporting note
Premium Choice
Freshly roasted beans ground to order: worth it in an Espresso Martini, where the coffee is the drink
Storage & Handling
Store whole beans airtight away from light and heat. Grind just before brewing. Brew only what you need for immediate use.
Shelf Life
Whole beans: 2–4 weeks after opening. Brewed coffee: Same day only
Usage
Poured at 25ml to 30ml as espresso in a shaken drink, or longer where coffee is the body of it. Brew it to order, because coffee begins losing its aromatics within minutes of extraction rather than within hours.
Which Extraction
Espresso, cold brew and filter are not interchangeable measures of the same thing. Espresso is extracted under pressure in seconds, which concentrates the oils and gives an intensity a cocktail can be built around. Cold brew steeps for twelve hours or more without heat, producing something markedly less acidic and less bitter but also flatter, with none of the aromatic top notes heat releases. Filter sits between the two and is generally too dilute to carry a drink. The recipe is usually assuming espresso unless it says otherwise.
Coffee Is an Acid
Coffee carries real acidity, which is the quality specialty roasters call brightness, and it changes how a drink balances. A light roast is noticeably more acidic and reads as sharp, citrus-like and sometimes sour against sugar or cream. A darker roast has had much of that acid cooked away, leaving bitterness and body in its place. That is why a medium to dark roast generally suits cocktails: the bitterness is a structural ingredient where the acidity competes with whatever citrus or sweetness is already in the glass.
The Three Beans
Sambuca served con la mosca, with the fly, carries three coffee beans floated on the surface and lit in some serves. The three are traditionally said to represent health, happiness and prosperity, and the number matters: two or four is held to be unlucky, which tells you the custom is older than any explanation of it. The beans are chewed rather than left, and the bitterness against the anise is the actual point underneath the ceremony.
Hot Coffee in Cold Drinks
Putting hot coffee into a shaker full of ice melts a great deal of it before the drink is chilled, so the result is weaker as well as colder. Brew it, then chill it quickly over a wider surface rather than leaving it to cool slowly, since slow cooling stales coffee and the difference is tasteable. Cold brew sidesteps the problem entirely, which is much of its appeal behind a bar, at the cost of the aromatics that only heat releases.
Pro Tip
If the drink tastes burnt or bitter, the coffee was over-extracted, not too strong.
Top Tips
- Brew it to order. Coffee starts flattening within minutes, and a shaken drink shows it immediately.
- Match the roast to the drink. A light, acidic roast fights sugar and cream; a medium one sits under both.
- Chill hot coffee fast if it is going into a cold drink. Slow cooling stales it and warms the ice.
Possible Substitutions
- Cold brew coffee
- Espresso
- Coffee liqueur (sweeter, alcoholic)
Production Method
Coffee beans are roasted, ground, and brewed using hot water or cold extraction. For cocktails, espresso or cold brew are most commonly used.
History & Context
Coffee entered cocktail culture in the 20th century as bartenders explored bitter and roasted flavours. Its popularity surged with modern classics like the Espresso Martini and cold brew–based drinks.
Common Questions
Espresso or cold brew in an Espresso Martini?
Espresso, as the name says. It is extracted under pressure, which concentrates the oils and produces the foam the drink is known for. Cold brew is less acidic and less bitter but flatter, and it cannot generate the same head however hard the drink is shaken.
Does decaf work?
Perfectly well, and it is worth having for a late round. Decaffeination removes the caffeine rather than the flavour, and a good decaf espresso makes a drink that is difficult to distinguish. Older or cheaper decaf can taste hollow, so it is worth trying the beans first.
What do the three beans mean?
Health, happiness and prosperity, floated on Sambuca served con la mosca. The number is the fixed part of the custom, since two or four is considered unlucky. They are meant to be chewed, and the bitterness against the anise is the real point of the garnish.
Can you use instant coffee?
It will contribute coffee flavour and nothing else. Instant carries none of the oils that give body or produce a foam, so an Espresso Martini made with it comes out thin and brown. Cold brew is a far better fallback where an espresso machine is not available.