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.
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 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 drink.
When I came home, I was convinced that I could make my own bourbon-licious coffee!
This drink is the perfect winter cocktail — an easy-to-make, Southern version of the classic Irish beverage.
Check out our picks for the best small espresso makers!
Can I Use Decaf in This Kentucky Bourbon 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 3 a.m., 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, 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.
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 is to find will depend on where you live, but we often find it at distillery gift shops.
Next, follow the recipe directions as written, but swap out the unflavored coffee for bourbon coffee and omit the bourbon and liqueur.
Kentucky Bourbon Coffee
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
Nutrition
This cocktail was inspired by Alltech's 'Bluegrass Sundown.'
Mark
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.
champagne-tastes
Oh awesome! I love the Bourbon Trail 😀
Jennifer A Stewart
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!
champagne-tastes
Thanks!!! And yes, sneak bourbon into all the things! 😀
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
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!
champagne-tastes
Enjoy!!!!
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
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!
champagne-tastes
Awesome!!! I'm glad you loved it!
Aron
This is a drink that definitly can wake you up! Great with breakfast for dinner combo.
champagne-tastes
Haha! I love that you had it with breakfast 😁 Glad you liked!
John
Used Cafe Bustelo and it came out great.
Alisha Trenalone
So glad you liked it!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes