Evening Coffee

Twice in the space of just a few days my cocktail of the day calendar has had a recipe that called for vodka and some kind of coffee liqueur. The first one took vodka (I used Stoli), creme de cacao, a little strong coffee (left-over cold from the morning pot), and Tia Maria. As I said in my review of coffee liqueurs the other day, I don't think Tia Maria is all the coffee-y, but it just added sweetness here. The drink wasn't bad, a good after-dinner drink. It had a nice combination of flavors.

Today's just called for vodka, Tia Maria, and a slosh of lemon juice. I substituted Starbux liqueur for a strong coffee kick. This one's less successful: even with the Starbux, and the tartness of the lemon for balance, it tastes like just a sweet vodka drink. If I'd used Tia Maria it really would have been sweet. Verdict: if you want a coffee taste in the evening, drink the real thing. You can always move on to something stronger.