TikTok Users Discovered A Perfect Boozy Hack Using A French Press

In case you missed it, your coffee-making equipment can also help you make deliciously infused cocktails. A bartending hack involving a French press has made the rounds on TikTok, with food-and-drink-loving Ereka Vetrini demonstrating how a batch of ingredients can be dumped into a French press, left to steep, then pressed to pour a beverage that offers an experience much boozier than a steaming cup of joe (unless, of course, you're talking about an Irish coffee). 

Vetrini wields the coffee contraption to infuse diced pieces of fruit, like peaches and cherries and slices of orange, with Aperol, Prosecco, and a splash of orange juice for a luscious-looking sangria, but other kinds of cocktail ingredients can be dumped into the device. From mojitos to hot toddies, a French press can help home entertainers easily make and serve multi-ingredient drink recipes without having to reach for separate strainers. The only downside? The need to wash pieces of fruit and mint leaves out of the bottom of your coffee-brewing carafe when you want to make coffee the next morning. 

Long before TikTok videos showcased the alternative uses of the French press, bartenders have been using the coffee brewing device to make and serve hot and cold cocktails flavored with herbs, spices, and fruits for some time. Though a French press does have its limitations when it comes to making batches of alcoholic drinks — the size of your French press will ultimately determine how much you can make and pour at a given time — the equipment can be perfect for smaller groups, date nights, and those end-of-day wind downs when a drink for a party of one is called for. 

Because the beauty of the press is the quick ability to separate ingredients, get creative with the flavor additions you mix with your chosen spirits and liquors. Take full advantage of the easy mesh plunger by infusing Campari and Aperol with cut strawberries and fresh basil leaves, or soak rum and Grand Marnier with mint leaves, cinnamon bark, and toasted chunks of coconut. The longer you let the ingredients sit, the richer flavors will become, so this is a drink hack you may want to plan to serve and enjoy fully.