Coffee Break

Coffee isn’t an ingredient that appears in too many tiki drinks, largely because most people associate coffee with a hot morning beverage and not a cool, fruity cocktail. But coffee is rich and complex, with nutty and fruity notes that can actually work very well in cocktails – even tiki cocktails – if you match them with ingredients that bring those notes out. We’re calling this one Coffee Break and it features coffee liqueur prominently.

The ingredient list for this cocktail may look little bit unusual at first glance, but the flavors really come together well in the end. It starts with a combination of dark Jamaican rum and spiced rum. Meyers works well here, but feel free to opt for a funkier rum, too. We used the Kraken as our spiced rum, as it has a coffee note that compliments the Kahlua. The banana liqueur highlights the natural funkiness of the Jamaican rum without making the drink overly fruity. The Campari brightens up the drink by enhancing the flavor of the orange juice and adding a touch of bitterness to the coffee liqueur. It also warms up the look of the cocktail, giving it a pretty reddish-amber hue. In the end, this is complex and a lot of fun to drink – and it is a coffee break that will put your afternoon on the right track.

Coffee Break
1 oz dark Jamaican rum
1 oz spiced rum
3/4 oz Kahlua
1/2 oz banana liqueur
1/4 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz fresh orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange wedge.