2 Classic Cocktails To Upgrade With Coffee-Infused Bourbon

Coffee is an excellent mixer in bourbon cocktails because its bitterness and roasted notes balance the caramel, vanilla, nut, fruit, and oak sweetness of bourbon. To take that match one step further, you can infuse bourbon with coffee beans by letting them sit in the spirit for 24 hours  to get a newly layered bourbon. The possibilities for those cocktails are pretty endless, so for some inspiration, we asked an expert. Anton Kinloch is a bartender at Lone Wolf in Kingston, New York, a bar that recently participated in the inaugural New York Bartender Week, and he has two recommendations: an espresso martini and an old fashioned.

"Coffee-infused whiskey can be a great base for an espresso martini riff with vanilla bean syrup and coconut," Kinloch says. There are many tasty ways to riff on the espresso martini, but coffee-infused whiskey is the most effective for bolstering the drink's defining coffee character. Together with the espresso, you'll get a complex bouquet of bitterness and sweetness, with pleasant hints of acid and astringency. Vanilla bean syrup and coconut contribute a touch more sweetness plus lightness, and that vanilla pulls out similar notes in the bourbon from vanillin, which is in the wood of the barrels it's aged in. To make this tipple, simply swap the vodka in a classic espresso martini out for the infused whiskey, use vanilla syrup in place of simple syrup, and add a splash of coconut cream.

"Similary, [coffee-infused bourbon] can be used in the old fashioned with amaro as a modifier and a touch of Demerara syrup," Anton Kinloch says. Because the iconic old fashioned cocktail is so simple and straightforward, it's a real showcase for bourbon. You're essentially accenting the spirit with Angostura bitters, Demerara syrup, and lemon and orange peel garnishes. So, of all the different great bourbon options for your old fashioned, a coffee-infused one has the greatest potential to make a flavor impact. You'll really get that coffee flavor mingling with the bourbon's best known tasting notes, while the Demerara syrup deepens and warms up that profile with its elements of caramel, molasses, and toffee.

Kinloch's advice to add amaro is a game-changer for the old fashioned, allowing you to really play with the coffee and bourbon flavors, highlighting different things. You can choose from the best amaros out there: Nonino Amaro would highlight caramel notes from the Demerara syrup and bourbon while brightening things up and mirroring your garnish with an orange character, while Cardamaro would bring in baking spices and amplify bourbon's woody elements, and Montenegro would contribute herbaceousness and floral notes plus cherry and citrus. To make this elevated old fashioned, use two ounces of the coffee-infused bourbon, one ounce of the amaro, and a teaspoon of the Demerara syrup, garnishing with citrus peels plus anything else you fancy, like a black cherry or sprinkle of coffee beans.