Coffee liqueur
Coffee liqueur is a sweet liqueur with the taste of roasted coffee. It is the classic base of the Espresso Martini and the White Russian. Here you can read which brands are available, how they differ, how to drink coffee liqueur and which glass goes with it.
The best-known coffee liqueurs
Two classics with rum and two from the Low Countries. Each brand has its own page with more about taste, cocktails and glasses.
Kahlúa
One of the best-known coffee liqueurs, made with Arabica coffee and rum. A classic choice for the White Russian.
About Kahlúa →
Tia Maria
Roasted Arabica coffee with vanilla and a hint of Jamaican rum. Slightly stronger and somewhat smoother in taste.
About Tia Maria →
Boomsma
The Frisian distillery makes a coffee liqueur with cold brew from fresh Arabica beans.
About Boomsma →
Filliers
Belgian genever distillery. Its coffee liqueur is made with five-year-old genever, arabica and cocoa.
About Filliers →Coffee, sugar and an alcohol base
Coffee liqueur is a liqueur in which coffee takes center stage. Producers infuse coffee beans or coffee in alcohol and add sugar. Vanilla, cocoa or caramel is often added as well. The underlying alcohol varies by brand: Kahlúa and Tia Maria use rum, Filliers uses genever, and other brands use neutral alcohol.
Most coffee liqueurs contain between 16 and 24% alcohol. They are dark brown, sweet and have the bitter note of roasted coffee. They contain no cream, which is the difference from a cream liqueur such as Baileys. Coffee liqueur can be enjoyed neat or over ice, but it is best known from cocktails: without coffee liqueur, there would be no Espresso Martini, White Russian or Black Russian.
In brief
All coffee liqueurs at Gall & Gall
Gall & Gall stocks ten coffee liqueurs, including Tia Maria in two sizes and in a gift pack with an Espresso Martini glass. These are the different bottles.
Kahlúa
Arabica coffee and rum, with notes of bittersweet coffee beans, roasted chestnut and butter.
Tia Maria
Roasted coffee with natural vanilla and a hint of Jamaican rum. Also available in a gift pack with a glass.
Boomsma Coffee Liqueur
Made with cold brew from fresh Arabica beans. Smooth and sweet, with little bitterness.
Filliers Belgian Coffee
A blend of five-year-old Filliers jenever with Arabica beans and cocoa extract.
Tiramisu Coffee Liqueur
Italian liqueur made with coffee, amaretto, and other extracts. Created for making tiramisu.
Chouffe Coffee
Grain alcohol with natural coffee extracts and a splash of Mc Chouffe beer, in a squat bottle.
Full Circle Coffee
Made from coffee grounds from the hospitality industry and orange peels from freshly squeezed juice. You can taste coffee, cocoa, vanilla, and orange.
Fair Coffee
Slowly roasted Arabica beans from Mexico, made with neutral alcohol. Produced in Cognac.
Roasted coffee, sweet and full-bodied
Coffee & vanilla
Freshly roasted coffee, with vanilla, caramel, or cocoa behind it. With rum-based brands, you can also smell a hint of sugarcane.
Bittersweet
Sweet and syrupy, with a touch of coffee bitterness. A cold brew liqueur is smoother, while an espresso liqueur is more robust.
Coffee lingers
A long, warm finish of coffee and sugar. Over ice, it becomes fresher and less sweet.
Flavor profile of a classic coffee liqueur like Kahlúa. Tia Maria is somewhat smoother with more vanilla; Tiramisu Coffee (24%) is more intense.
Three ways to drink coffee liqueur
Coffee liqueur is a true all-rounder: neat after dinner, in coffee, or as the base of a cocktail.
Over ice
Pour 4 to 5 cl over a few large ice cubes in a tumbler. Add a splash of milk or cream for an iced coffee with a kick in just a few seconds.
Glass: tumbler →In coffee
A splash in a cup of black coffee or cappuccino, topped with whipped cream. Also delicious over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Coffee cocktails →In an Espresso Martini
Vodka, coffee liqueur, and a fresh espresso, shaken hard with ice and poured into a chilled coupe. The layer of foam comes from shaking.
Espresso Martini →Cocktails with coffee liqueur
These classics revolve around coffee liqueur. You don't need much.
Espresso Martini
Vodka, espresso, and coffee liqueur, shaken hard until foamy.
White Russian
Vodka and coffee liqueur over ice, topped with a layer of cream.
Mudslide
Vodka, coffee liqueur, and Irish cream. A dessert in a glass.
Brandy Alexander
Brandy, crème de cacao and cream. Using coffee liqueur instead of cacao gives you a coffee version.The right glass for coffee liqueur
A tumbler for serving over ice and for the White Russian, and a coupe or Nick & Nora for the Espresso Martini. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything else you wanted to know about coffee liqueur
Can't find your question here? Check out our coffee cocktails or read more about liqueur.
To coffee cocktails →What is coffee liqueur?
How much alcohol is in coffee liqueur?
What is the difference between Kahlúa and Tia Maria?
Which coffee liqueur do you use for an Espresso Martini?
How do you drink coffee liqueur?
Which glass do you use for coffee liqueur?
Buy coffee liqueur
Want the bottle at home right away? Order coffee liqueur online from Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 10, including 1 on sale.
Prices as of October 9, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can see the current price and availability at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; you pay nothing extra. No under 18s, no alcohol.