Step into a world where coffee isn't just for mornings and Kahlúa becomes your passport to pleasure. This divine concoction is a compelling dance of flavors, blending the warm, aromatic notes of coffee with the velvety richness of Kahlúa.

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If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll love this coffee cocktail recipe! With simple ingredients like Kahlúa, Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur, whiskey, and strong coffee, this coffee drink will keep you up all night long!

Pouring coffee into the coffee cocktail.

Kahlúa Midnight Coffee Cocktail, or what we’re calling the Up All Night, is a perfect coffee cocktail for coffee lovers. Whether you are looking for an after-dinner drink or something to kick-start your weekend brunch, this smooth coffee cocktail is a quick favorite of ours.

Mixed with Bailey’s Irish Cream, whiskey, and coffee, this coffee cocktail is smooth and delicious. And making it is as easy as pouring all of the ingredients into your favorite glass coffee mug or stemless insulated cup and topping it with a marshmallow or whipped cream!

Kahlua Midnight Coffee Cocktail

What Is a Coffee Cocktail?

Established in Mexico in the 1930s, Kahlúa is a blend of rum, sugar, vanilla, and coffee. It is often enjoyed as an after-dinner drink but can also be used in cocktails and mixed drinks.

Kahlúa and coffee are a match made in heaven! Because Kahlúa itself is a coffee liquor, it pairs perfectly with any coffee cocktail. Kahlúa is also a sweet liqueur, so it helps balance the bitterness of coffee.

Ingredients for this cocktail.

What You Need to Make a Kahlúa Coffee Cocktail

  • Kahlúa Midnight
  • Irish Cream – We’re using Bailey’s for this recipe.
  • Whiskey – Use your favorite whiskey. If you want to stay with the Irish theme from the Bailey’s, use an Irish whiskey!
  • Coffee – Plain old brewed coffee.
Marshmallows atop a coffee cocktail in a glass mug.

How to Make This Coffee Cocktail

Add the Kahlua Midnight, Irish cream, and whiskey, then fill your glass with coffee for the perfect alcoholic coffee. Garnish with marshmallows if you’re feeling wild!

What to Serve With This Kahlúa Cocktail

Serve after dinner with dreamy desserts like Browned Butter Coffee Cake and Bittersweet Chocolate Tart! If you want to keep things light, pair your cozy coffee cocktails with some Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti! Or, if you want to have a boozy brunch with friends, pair this cocktail with some Bluberry Sour Cream Waffles and Tex-Mex Hash Browns with Eggs!

Expert Tips

  • Experimenting with Kahlua and Irish Coffee cocktail recipes is easy and fun. Just start with replacing the liqueur in the classic Kahlua recipes and then branch out from there. Before you know it, cocktail coffee drinks will be a quick and easy go-to for your entertaining options!
  • Fire up that espresso machine and add a shot of espresso for an even better caffeine buzz!
  • Or sweeten things with this simple Copycat Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup.
  • Drizzle some chocolate syrup on the sides of the glass to make it super fancy.
  • If you have extra time, whip up some fresh whipped cream for the ultimate indulgence.
  • Add a spicy twist by swapping the whiskey for cinnamon whiskey or adding some cinnamon sticks!
  • Or go full holiday mode and add a little Gingerbread simple syrup.
  • Sprinkle some Angostura bitters in your tasty coffee cocktail for hints of cinnamon and clove. 
  • Make a coffee ice cream float by adding a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream!
  • Freeze your leftover morning coffee or instant coffee and make coffee ice cubes to drop into your cocktail!
Hand dropping marshmallows into the glass.

FAQs

What is Kahlúa Midnight?

Kahlúa Midnight Coffee Liqueur is a delicious mix of rum and black coffee. It’s known for being lighter in color and less sweet than the original Kahlúa Liqueur.

We recently discovered Kahlúa Midnight, and it has quickly become my staple ingredient in our coffee cocktails. We have used Kahlúa Midnight Liqueur in a few coffee cocktails like a Mudslide or classic White Russians. Still, our favorite way to use it is to simply add it to a hot cup of coffee.

If you can’t find Kahlúa Midnight, classic Kahlúa or Tia Maria works great for coffee cocktails too.

What other alcohols are good with coffee?

Whiskey, Rum, Brandy, and Bourbon are great with freshly brewed coffee. Stick with Whiskey on this one; you won’t be sorry!

Can I make this with cold brew coffee?

If you desire an iced coffee cocktail, feel free to use cold brew and ice!

Can I add simple syrup to this cocktail?

Oooh, yes, that would be delicious! We’re thinking vanilla, cinnamon, or even brown sugar or marshmallow-flavored syrup! Feel free to get creative!

Can I make this cocktail decaf?

Absolutely! If you still want to indulge in this classic cocktail but don’t want to be bouncing off the walls, use decaf coffee instead of regular!

Do I need a cocktail shaker?

Nope! Just throw all your ingredients into a coffee cup, and you’re good to go!

Warm tones in a rich image of this cocktail with a marshmallow melting atop the glass.

More After-Dinner Cocktails

This classic coffee cocktail brings the best of both worlds together – coffee and alcohol. Made with easy ingredients like whiskey, Kahlúa, Irish cream, and coffee, this buzzing beverage is the perfect drink to sip on after dinner or stay up all night with friends. If you tried this recipe, please rate the recipe card and leave a comment below to help out the next reader!

📖 Recipe

Kahlua Midnight Coffee Cocktail Recipe on Kita Roberts PasstheSushi

Kahlua Midnight Coffee Cocktail

Awaken your palate with this irresistible coffee cocktail, where the boldness of fresh brew meets Kahlúa. ?☕ A tantalizing blend, weaving together the familiar with the exotic for an indulgence you can't resist.
4.96 from 23 votes
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Cocktail Recipes
American
Author: Kita
3 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 oz Kahlua Midnight
  • 1 oz Irish Cream
  • ½ oz Whiskey
  • 6 oz Coffee

Instructions

  • In a coffee cup, add the Kahlua Midnight, Irish cream, and whiskey.
  • Fill the cup the cup with the coffee.
  • Stir to combine
  • Garnish with marshmallows if you're feeling wild.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Sodium: 9mg | Sugar: 22g

Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.

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Help out the next person and give it a star rating below!

pinnable image for coffee cocktail

3 Comments

  1. So explain to me the difference between regular kahlua and Kahlua midnight! Both are coffee flavored!

    1. I had to figure this out myself! It had more rum than regular Kahlua, so it is much stronger and altho tastes very similar to original Kahlua, it's got a bit more coffee flavor, in my opinion. So, really it depends on just how strong you want your cocktail to be.
      Hope this helps!

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