#ThirstyThursday: get your coffee fix with these cocktail ideas

For those who like to start their mornings with a cup of coffee, iced coffees are a great option when the days get hot.

However, if you also like to add a caffeine kick to your alcohol, you will be happy to know an Irish coffee is not your only option. You can now make yourself a coffee-infused cocktail created by the one and only J’Something.

The singer has been in partnership with Nespresso for six years and their latest collaboration sees Mi Casa’s leading man using the brand’s latest master origin coffees to create amazing cocktails.

Here are the recipes for three coffee cocktails you can brew at home.

What you need:

1 cup of coffee, brewed as ristretto*

1 cup brewed as a lungo*

10ml Nutella

Ice cubes

Chocolate balls, to garnish

Large toothpicks

What to do:

1. Add the ristretto shot to the Nutella and mix.
2. Add the lungo coffee to a shaker with ice cubes and shake until chilled.
3. Add 2-3 ice cubes to a glass and pour the coffee mixture over them.
4. Top up with the chilled coffee from the shaker.
5. Serve with a chocolate ball (or two) on a toothpick to garnish.

- Serves 1

What you need:

2 capsules Nespresso Master Origin Colombia, brewed as lungos*

3-4 ice cubes

200ml water

1⁄4 cup mixed berry juice

1⁄4 cup strawberries, chopped

1⁄4 cup blueberries

1⁄4 cup raspberries

50ml water

50ml sugar

Drop or two of Aroma Strawberry

What to do:

1. Brew coffee and add to a shaker with ice cubes, add mixed berry juice and berries and shake.
2. Top up with 200ml of cold water.
3. Put sugar and water into a pot and bring to a boil, add 1-2 drops of Aroma Strawberry and reduce heat. Simmer until reduced and thickened, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Add 10-15ml of strawberry sugar syrup to the berry juice and coffee and stir.
5. Serve berry and coffee mixture in a glass over more ice, with or without fruit.

- Serves 2

What you need:

1 cup of a double-shot coffee, brewed as lungo*

1tsp honey

35ml local gin

Ice cubes

250ml tonic water

Lemon peel, sliced, to garnish

What to do:

1. Brew the coffee.
2. Add honey to coffee and stir; allow to cool.
3. Pour most of the coffee into ice cube trays, reserving 10ml.
4. Put ice tray in freezer and allow to freeze. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
5. Place 2-3 coffee ice cubes in a glass.
6. Pour gin over ice cubes.
7. Add 10ml of chilled coffee and top up with tonic water.
8. Add a piece of lemon peel to garnish and serve.

- Serves 1

*Lungo – a short black (single or double dose or shot) with much more water (generally twice as much), resulting in a larger coffee.

*Ristretto – a short shot of espresso coffee made with the normal amount of ground coffee but extracted with about half the amount of water in the same amount of time by using a finer grind.