Like many hot coffee cocktails, the Italian coffee recipe is defined by a single liqueur. In this case, the spirit is Strega. It is an Italian digestive made from a mixture of 70 herbs and spices and is also known as “witch liquor”.
Strega infuses coffee with its unique blend of herbs dominated by juniper, mint and saffron to create an interesting and delicious drink. Made from the finest dark roasted coffee beans, it makes a great after-dinner cup of coffee.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Strega Liqueur
- 5 to 6 ounces freshly brewed black coffee, to taste
- Whipped cream, for garnish
- Grated nutmeg, for garnish
Steps to Make It
- Gather the ingredients.
- In a warm Irish coffee glass or mug, pour the Strega.
- Fill with hot coffee.
- Top with whipped cream and garnish with grated nutmeg. Serve and enjoy.
Tips
- Brew the most flavorful cup of coffee you can. If you typically use a drip coffee maker, consider using another style of brewer like a French press or pour-over brewer to produce a richer brew for all of your hot coffee cocktails and you’ll see a big improvement.
- Another way to improve your coffee is to start with whole beans and grind them yourself. There are subtle flavors that are lost with time after grinding and you can capture those by grinding only what you need at the moment.
- Heating your coffee glass or mug helps keep the drink warmer to the last sip. You can fill it with hot water while brewing the coffee. The alternative is to fill the glass with water and microwave it for about 10 seconds.
You can lightly whip cream and float it on top of the drink, just like the traditional Irish coffee. While that is amazing, the easy alternative is to simply use canned whipped cream.
Various Recipes
- There is no really good substitute for Strega because it is a proprietary recipe. However, many people compare the liqueur to Yellow Chartreuse and that might be a good alternative in this recipe.
- Add a shot of Strega to espresso if you like. To increase the volume and balance out the flavors, turn your double shot of espresso into a café Americano by adding an equal amount of hot water, then add the Strega.
- Rather than ground nutmeg, dust the cream with ground cinnamon or simply add a cinnamon stick (it doubles as a stir stick, too).