This boozy Christmas coffee is basically an adult peppermint mocha! Fun, festive, and extra merry with the addition of peppermint schnapps and Kahlua.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
“Definitely a fun and cozy drink for the holiday season! Made this last year and will definitely be making this again the moment the snow flies. Highly recommend.” – Darla
I’ve been a home barista for 20 years and have developed over 90 drink recipes for this website, more than 40 of them cocktails and over 20 specialty coffee drinks. Which is to say that ironing out a spiked holiday coffee was right up my alley, especially as a lifelong lover of chocolate and sprinkles.
The thing I kept running into when testing Christmas coffee drinks is that most of them go too sweet. Between the liqueurs, the chocolate, and the whipped cream, it’s easy to end up with something closer to dessert than coffee. So I landed on using Kahlua as the sweetener rather than adding sugar or syrup on top of it, and I kept the schnapps at a level where the peppermint reads as a flavor instead of taking over. After a lot of testing, our spiked Christmas coffee is rich and comforting without being cloying.
This has the vibe of a more chill, less fancy cousin of our Baileys Espresso Martini and our Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini. It’s the drink you make for Christmas morning, or sip by the fire, or pour as a fun kick-off to a holiday brunch. Cozy, festive, and full of holiday cheer.
And if you love this adult peppermint mocha, I won’t tell if you spike our White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha (just swap out the peppermint extract for peppermint schnapps) or our Eggnog Latte (just add a shot of rum, bourbon, or brandy). Cheers!
Jump to:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
- Why This is The Best Christmas Coffee Recipe with Kahlua
- Peppermint Spiked Coffee Ingredients
- How to Make Christmas Coffee with Alcohol
- How to Garnish Your Christmas Coffee
- How to Make Christmas Coffee for a Crowd
- Boozy Christmas Coffee Variations
- Boozy Christmas Coffee FAQs
- More Recipes To Try
- Best Christmas Morning Coffee (Spiked Coffee)
Why This is The Best Christmas Coffee Recipe with Kahlua
Quick and easy to make! This simple coffee cocktail comes together quickly.
A peppermint mocha for adults. This boozy Christmas coffee has everything you love about a classic peppermint mocha… but with an adult kick from Kahlua and Peppermint Schnapps.
So darn cozy. The perfect drink to enjoy in your PJs. Sitting by the fire. Reading a good book… you get the idea!
Peppermint Spiked Coffee Ingredients
- Hot, Strong Brewed Coffee: Put your favorite coffee on to brew as usual.
- High Quality Chocolate: Use your favorite semi-sweet or dark chocolate.
- Christmas Sprinkles: Sprinkles add holiday flair to this festive coffee drink recipe.
- Milk: You can use whatever milk you prefer (dairy or non-dairy) in this winter coffee recipe. I recommend using 2% or whole dairy milk.
- Peppermint Schnapps: Used to add that peppermint punch to your coffee.
- Kahlua Coffee Liqueur: Kahlua with coffee is a match made in heaven, and it acts as the sweetener for this boozy peppermint mocha recipe.
- Canned Whipped Cream: Squirt whipped topping is easy to use, and adds extra fun to this boozy coffee drink.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Helpful Equipment
Using a French Press creates a rich cup of coffee, perfect for this boozy holiday coffee! Alternatively, you could use a standard Drip Coffee Maker. This would be great if you’re making several mugs of this when having friends or family over!
How to Make Christmas Coffee with Alcohol
Melt chocolate in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring in between. Dip the rim of your mugs into the melted chocolate and shake on sprinkles.
Divide the remaining chocolate and scoop it into the bottom of each mug.
Fill each mug about ¾ full with hot coffee and stir to help melt and mix in the chocolate.
Add 1oz peppermint schnapps and ½oz Kahlua to each mug and stir. Then top with milk.
Top generously with whipped cream.
Add additional sprinkles on top.
How to Garnish Your Christmas Coffee
The garnish is what turns a mug of spiked coffee into something that feels like an occasion, and it’s the part your guests will notice first.
- The chocolate and sprinkle rim. This is our signature here. Dip the rim in melted chocolate, then pour on some Christmas sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft so they stick. I recommend the classic long sprinkles (sometimes called jimmies) over nonpareils, since they hold onto the chocolate better and give you more color.
- Crushed candy canes. A great alternative to sprinkles, and they double down on the peppermint already in the drink. Put a few candy canes in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin, then use them on the rim or sprinkle them over the whipped cream.
- A whole candy cane as a stirrer. Fun, festive, and it slowly melts into the drink as you sip.
- Grated chocolate or a dusting of cocoa powder. A simpler option if you’re making several of these at once and don’t want to rim every mug.
- A cinnamon stick. Adds a warm aroma every time you lift the mug, and it looks lovely against the whipped cream.
Whatever you choose, add it right after you add the whipped cream while everything is still fresh and the cream is holding its shape.
How to Make Christmas Coffee for a Crowd
This is a great drink to serve at a holiday party or for a fun holiday morning with a lot of adults. A little prep work ahead of time makes it much easier to pull off when guests are actually there.
Rim your mugs in advance. This is the one step that slows you down when you’re making several at once. Melt your chocolate, rim and decorate all your mugs, and set them out on a tray. The chocolate sets up firm and the mugs will hold just fine for several hours before your guests arrive.
Brew a full pot of coffee. A drip coffee maker is your friend here. Brew it strong, and keep the pot on the warmer so you’ve got hot coffee ready to pour throughout the evening.
Set up a build-your-own bar. Put out the rimmed mugs, the coffee carafe, bottles of peppermint schnapps and Kahlua, a pitcher of milk, whipped cream, and a few garnish options. Add a small card with the measurements (1 oz peppermint schnapps and ½ oz Kahlua per mug) and let people pour their own. This works especially well because guests can adjust the booze to their own taste, or skip it entirely.
Offer a non-alcoholic version. Not everyone will want the liqueurs, and the chocolate-rimmed mug with coffee, milk, and whipped cream is delicious on its own. Set out a bottle of peppermint syrup next to the schnapps so everyone can make something festive.
Don’t pre-mix. It’s tempting to batch everything into one pitcher, but the coffee will cool down and the drink is better built mug by mug.
Boozy Christmas Coffee Variations
Use two shots espresso instead of coffee. I love brewing espresso at home in my moka pot. If you’d rather use espresso, flip the coffee-to-milk ratio in the recipe card: add your shots of espresso to the mug, stir in the booze, then top with milk.
Use decaf for an evening drink. If you’d like to enjoy one of these later in the day while snuggled in by the fire or gazing at the lights on your Christmas tree, decaf is a great option. All the cozy, none of the 2am staring at the ceiling.
Try a different liqueur. Peppermint schnapps and Kahlua give you that peppermint mocha profile, but coffee plays nicely with a lot of flavors:
- Irish whiskey (like Jameson) is what’s used in a classic Irish coffee.
- Baileys Irish Cream is already creamy and sweet, so you can skip the milk.
- RumChata or a bourbon cream brings a cinnamon vanilla warmth that’s lovely at the holidays.
- Amaretto adds almond flavor and is what I reach for when making an affogato.
- Frangelico gives you a pop of hazelnut, which is excellent with chocolate.
- Crème de menthe can stand in for peppermint schnapps in a pinch if that’s what you have (especially if you’ve just made our chocolate mint squares!).
Swap the chocolate. We use semi-sweet or dark chocolate for the rim and the mug, but white chocolate makes this feel like a white chocolate peppermint mocha instead.
Make it a non-alcoholic Christmas coffee. Skip the liqueurs entirely and add a splash of peppermint syrup. You still get the chocolate rim, the sprinkles, and all the holiday cheer.
Boozy Christmas Coffee FAQs
You can use any type of milk you like to make this winter coffee recipe.
Dairy milk: 2% or whole milk are both great options. If you’d like to make it extra decadent, use half-and-half!
Non-dairy milk: Oat milk or almond milk are both good alternatives to dairy milk. If you have another non-dairy milk preference, go for it!
According to Kahlua’s website, Kahlua has a shelf life of 4-years. They say it’s actually ok to enjoy longer but the coffee flavor tends to fade.
No, but it is recommended that it is stored in a cool, dry place. Also make sure the cap of your Kahlua is put on tightly in between enjoying this liqueur.
Assuming it is stored properly, peppermint liqueur has a long shelf life (think years). The flavor may degrade over time, though, so best to enjoy this winter coffee often to avoid that! To properly store schnapps, ensure your bottle is tightly closed and stored in a cool and dry area away from direct sunlight.
I recommend using the classic, long sprinkles (sometimes called jimmies) for your holiday coffee.
No, but adding the whipped topping to your boozy Christmas coffee definitely adds to the decadence of this drink (and gives you a surface for more sprinkles). However, it’s your holiday beverage, so enjoy it however you’d like!
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- Potato Cheddar Soup
- Ground Turkey Tacos Recipe
- Easy Turkey Burger Recipe
- Zucchini Applesauce Muffins
- Best Scotcheroos Recipe
Best Christmas Morning Coffee (Spiked Coffee)
Ingredients
- 1-2 C strong brewed coffee*
- ¼ C high-quality chocolate semi-sweet or dark
- Christmas sprinkles for the rim & topping
- 2 oz peppermint schnapps divided
- 1 oz Kahlua divided
- Milk of choice I use 2% or whole dairy milk
- Canned whipped cream
Instructions
- Brew coffee using your preferred method
- Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt in 20 second increments, stirring in between each 20-second cycle (this should take 2-3 cycles)
- Dip the rim of your mugs into the melted chocolate and shake on sprinkles. Divide the remaining chocolate and scoop it into the bottom of each mug. Set mugs aside
- Once the coffee is ready, fill each mug ¾ full with hot coffee and stir to help melt and mix in the chocolate
- Add 1oz peppermint schnapps and ½oz Kahlua to each mug and stir
- Top each mug with milk
- Add whipped cream and sprinkles on top of each drink
- Enjoy!
Darla says
Definitely a fun and cozy drink for the holiday season! Made this last year and will definitely be making this again the moment the snow flies. Highly recommend.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
So happy to hear that you loved this boozy Christmas coffee too! 🎄❄☕
M. says
This DEFINITELY made my holiday season merry. Thanks!
Meredith says
🙌🙌🙌 so happy to hear it!