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    Home » Bourbon

    Kentucky Bourbon Coffee

    Published: Dec 5, 2016 · Modified: Aug 1, 2023 · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Save Recipe Saved!

    This Kentucky Bourbon Coffee is a Southern take on an Irish coffee, and is the perfect drink to keep you warm on chilly days.  This caffeinated cocktail is made with freshly-brewed coffee, coffee liqueur, bourbon, and cream.  

    Floating Cream on a Kentucky Bourbon Coffee

    Last fall, on one of our Bourbon Trail escapades, the husband and I found ourselves dashing through a Lexington parking lot on a blustery, stormy day.  

    We hurried inside the Town Branch distillery, also toured the brewery next door, and relied on their bourbon tastings to keep us warm as we made our way to the different buildings in the tour.

    The tour ended with their delicious, warming, smile-inducing Bluegrass Sundown, a bourbon-ized version of the classic Irish Coffee.  

    Bourbon Sundown cocktails with cream on top.

    When I came home, I was convinced that I could make my own bourbon-licious coffee!

    This Kentucky Bourbon Coffee is the perfect winter cocktail, an easy-to-make, Southern version of the classic Irish coffee.

    Want more coffee in your life? Check out our picks for the best small espresso makers!

    Can I Use Decaf Coffee?

    Absolutely.  Decaffeinated coffee is a perfectly acceptable solution to the "caffeinated cocktail conundrum."

    If you, like me, are somewhat "caffeine sensitive," you may gaze at caffeinated cocktails in confusion.  When does one drink these rich, earthy drinks?

    If you're like my husband-- you drink them whenever you want, and never ever find yourself staring at the ceiling at 3am, cursing your poor caffeine-decision-making skills.  

    If you're like me, you drink them in the early afternoon, or swap the coffee out for decaf.  

    I'm wild and crazy like that, y'all.

    Once you've decided on regular or decaf coffee, and are ready to start cocktailing it up, you're going to need some bourbon, coffee liqueur, a little sugar (if you want!), and cream.

    Kentucky Bourbon Coffee

    Making Kentucky Bourbon Coffee

    Once you've gathered all your ingredients, start mixing your cocktail!  

    Simply pour coffee into a mug (fill it about halfway), and add the bourbon and coffee liqueur.  Stir it all up, and sweeten to taste.

    How to Float Cream on a Cocktail

    Next, hold a spoon, curved side up, against the inside rim of the mug.  

    Pour the cream slowly over the spoon so that the cream settles on the top of the drink.  

    Serve immediately, and sip slowly to stay warm on even the most blustery days!

    Can I Make This a Mocktail?

    Sure! It won't be exactly the same as the cocktail version, but making this a mocktail is fairly simple.

    First, find some bourbon-flavored coffee. How easy this coffee is to find will depend on where you live, but we often find bourbon coffee at bourbon distilleries in the gift shop.

    Packages of James E Pepper coffee aged in whiskey barrels.
    Bourbon Coffee at James E Pepper Distillery

    Next, follow the recipe directions as written, but swapping unflavored coffee for bourbon coffee and omitting the bourbon and liqueur.

    This Kentucky Bourbon Coffee is a Southern take on an Irish coffee, and is the perfect drink to keep you warm this winter. This caffeinated cocktail is made with freshly brewed coffee, coffee liqueur, bourbon, and cream.
    Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 5 votes

    Kentucky Bourbon Coffee

    This Kentucky Bourbon Coffee is a Southern take on an Irish coffee, and is the perfect drink to keep you warm on chilly days. This caffeinated cocktail is made with freshly-brewed coffee, coffee liqueur, bourbon, and cream. 
    Author: Sarah Trenalone
    Total Time5 minutes mins
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
    Servings: 1 person
    Calories: 262kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 4-6 oz freshly brewed coffee
    • 1 ounce bourbon
    • ½ ounce coffee liqueur
    • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional, sweeten to taste)
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ ounces heavy cream

    Instructions

    • Pour hot coffee, bourbon, vanilla, and coffee liqueur into a mug.  Stir, and sweeten to taste with brown sugar (optional).
    • Hold a small metal spoon, curved side up, against the inside wall of the mug and just above the coffee drink.  Pour cream over spoon.  (Spoon will help the cream remain mostly on the top of the drink).  Serve immediately.

    Notes

    Yields 1 cocktail
    Nutrition information does not include optional sugar.
    Mocktail option:  Skip the bourbon and liqueur, and use bourbon-infused or bourbon-flavored coffee instead of unflavored coffee.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 262kcal (13%) | Carbohydrates: 7g (2%) | Fat: 15g (23%) | Saturated Fat: 9g (56%) | Cholesterol: 58mg (19%) | Sodium: 17mg (1%) | Sugar: 6g (7%) | Vitamin A: 625IU (13%) | Calcium: 28mg (3%)
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

    This cocktail was inspired by Alltech's 'Bluegrass Sundown.'

    More Bourbon Recipes

    • Honey old fashioned cocktail in glass with bourbon bottle, cocktail jigger, and honey dipper stick.
      Honey Old Fashioned
    • Barrel House Distilling Company brick exterior.
      Barrel House Distillery (Lexington, KY)
    • Large stills at Town Branch Distillery.
      Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. (Kentucky)
    • Sign for Limestone Branch Distillery with visitor center in background.
      Limestone Branch Distillery (Lebanon, KY)

    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

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    Recipe Rating




    Comments

    All commentsI made this
    1. Mark

      January 27, 2017 at 9:45 pm

      5 stars
      We just toured through Kentucky and visited 3 bourbon distilleries there. Not only did I enjoy the bourbon but also those wonderful bourbon balls. I'm a bit of a coffee snob, which I freely admit, so this sounds like a match made in heaven.

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes

        January 27, 2017 at 9:50 pm

        Oh awesome! I love the Bourbon Trail 😀

        Reply
    2. Jennifer A Stewart

      January 30, 2017 at 9:14 pm

      I was never a big bourbon drinker but the hubby loves it. We are remodeling our kitchen and I had to move his bourbon collection. 64 bottles! That's not including the ones that were empty and he was keeping the bottle because it is cool, but 64 actual bottles. I started drinking it with raspberry ginger ale (don't judge it's awesome) and bourbon cream over ice. I love the idea of bourbon and cream with coffee. It is getting cool here finally so I might be busting this out soon!

      Reply
    3. champagne-tastes

      April 12, 2017 at 8:11 am

      Thanks!!! And yes, sneak bourbon into all the things! 😀

      Reply
    4. Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!

      May 06, 2017 at 8:48 am

      When to drink a drink like this? Weekend mornings! Or, like you said, early afternoon or evening with decaf. I'm going to make these this morning for me and my hubby!

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes

        May 06, 2017 at 8:49 am

        Enjoy!!!!

        Reply
        • Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!

          May 06, 2017 at 10:55 am

          5 stars
          They were delicious!! I only included half the bourbon because I don't like my alcohol super strong and bourbon is a very strong flavor to me. We both enjoyed these and will be making them again!

          Reply
          • champagne-tastes

            May 06, 2017 at 10:56 am

            Awesome!!! I'm glad you loved it!

            Reply
    5. Aron

      August 17, 2018 at 10:10 am

      5 stars
      This is a drink that definitly can wake you up! Great with breakfast for dinner combo.

      Reply
      • champagne-tastes

        August 17, 2018 at 8:51 pm

        Haha! I love that you had it with breakfast 😁 Glad you liked!

        Reply

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