Whether it’s to be added to heavy cream for a dessert libation or it’s a component of a more complex cocktail, coffee liqueur is not only simple to make—it’s one cocktail ingredient guaranteed to make you friends.

The flavors found in coffee blend well with spirits, but too often coffee cocktails come out tasting diluted. Finding the proper balance between the base spirit and the coffee can be a game of cat and mouse. Fortunately, there is a simple solution. 

Aside from seasonal drinks like wassail or mulled wine, I don’t tend to be a fan of warm cocktails or punches. Every once in awhile I’ll have an Irish coffee, but I typically