Mexican Coffee
Hot coffee spiked with tequila and coffee liqueur in a cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass, finished with whipped cream. It is bright, warming and a little peppery from the agave, and it is a bar drink, not the clay-pot café de olla.
At a glance
- Coffee : spirits
- 3:1
- Active time
- 4 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 glass
- Serve
- Hot, with cream
- Kit
- Heatproof glass
Ingredients
Note: For the non-alcoholic Mexican coffee with piloncillo and cinnamon, see café de olla.
Method
-
Rim the glass
Wet the rim of a heatproof glass with water or a lime wedge and dip it in the cinnamon sugar.
-
Spirits and coffee
Pour in the tequila and coffee liqueur, then the hot coffee. Stir gently, keeping the rim dry.
-
Cream and cinnamon
Top with whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon. Serve at once.
Why this works
Tequila in coffee is less obvious than whiskey or rum, and that is what makes it interesting. Blanco tequila is unaged agave spirit, and its flavour is green, peppery and slightly citrus rather than sweet and oaky. In hot coffee, those bright notes cut through the roast and the sweetness of the coffee liqueur, so the drink tastes lively rather than heavy. A reposado, rested briefly in oak, makes a rounder, softer version.
The coffee liqueur supplies sugar and a second layer of coffee. Together with the tequila it makes the drink both sweet and sharp. Using 100 percent agave tequila matters: mixtos, made with added sugars, taste harsh and slightly solvent-like when heated.
The cinnamon sugar rim is where the spice lives. Each sip passes over it, bringing sweetness and warm cinnamon without having to stir ground cinnamon into the coffee, where it would not dissolve. Ceylon cinnamon, Mexican canela, gives a softer, more floral note than cassia.
This drink is an American bar creation borrowing Mexican flavours. The coffee Mexicans actually drink at home is café de olla, brewed with piloncillo and cinnamon in a clay pot, without alcohol. Both are worth knowing, and they share nothing but the cinnamon.
Variations
- With reposado: a rounder, softer tequila with a little oak.
- With mezcal: half the tequila swapped for mezcal, for smoke.
- With chocolate: a spoon of Mexican chocolate melted into the coffee first.
- Café de olla: the non-alcoholic Mexican spiced coffee. See café de olla.
Contains about one and a half measures of spirit and liqueur. Not for children, drivers, or anyone avoiding alcohol.
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Questions
What is in a Mexican coffee?
Hot coffee with tequila and coffee liqueur, often in a cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass, topped with whipped cream.
What tequila is best in coffee?
A 100 percent agave blanco for a bright, peppery drink, or a reposado for a softer one.
Is Mexican coffee the same as café de olla?
No. Café de olla is a traditional non-alcoholic Mexican coffee brewed with piloncillo and cinnamon. Mexican coffee is a spiked bar drink.
Can I make Mexican coffee without coffee liqueur?
Yes. Use 10 ml of piloncillo syrup or brown sugar syrup instead, and add a little more tequila if you like.