Coffee and Tonic
Build; Layer ∙ 3 min ∙ 5.6% ABV ∙
Coffee and Tonic is a highball built from tonic water, cold brew coffee, and a floral liqueur such as Italicus, poured long over ice. Bittersweet quinine fizz meets dark cold-brew depth, with a floral citrus lift underneath — a bright, low-proof sipper for a slow afternoon.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour the first 2 ingredients into the ice-filled glass: Italicus liqueur 50 mlTonic water 100 ml
- Briefly stir
- Layer Cold brew coffee 15 ml by carefully pouring so it sits on top of the drink
Tips
- Build over ice in the glass: the Italicus and tonic go in first and get a brief stir, then the cold brew is layered on top last.
- Pour the coffee in a thin stream over the tonic so the layers stay distinct before stirring once.
History
Coffee and Tonic is the non-espresso-machine name for what is most commonly documented as the Espresso and Tonic (or Kaffe & Tonic), a mix of coffee and tonic water first recorded in 2007 in Oslo, where a barista working alongside Anne Lunell and Charles Nystrand, the future founders of Sweden's Koppi Roasters, combined leftover tonic water with espresso and syrup after a staff party. Later that year Lunell and Nystrand put the drink on the menu as Kaffe & Tonic at their newly opened Koppi Roasters cafe in Helsingborg, Sweden, and its popularity spread through Scandinavia before reaching North American coffee culture in the 2010s via international barista competitions, and Japan by 2015. Some accounts float a rival, looser claim that a coffee-and-soda style drink existed over a century earlier through long-running Italian coffee-soda brands, though this predecessor is not tied to tonic water specifically and is not the version credited with the modern drink's creation. Variations on the format have since substituted cold brew for espresso and added other mixers or flavorings, spreading the basic coffee-plus-tonic-water idea under names like Coffee and Tonic.
FAQ
What is coffee and tonic called?
It is simply called a Coffee and Tonic, sometimes written as a coffee tonic. It is a built highball of tonic water and cold brew coffee, and this version adds a floral liqueur such as Italicus for a citrus, botanical edge.
Is coffee and tonic a thing?
Yes, it is a real and established drink, popular as a refreshing, lower-proof alternative to an iced coffee or an espresso-based cocktail. The quinine bitterness of the tonic plays against the roasted depth of the cold brew, and here a floral liqueur ties the two together.
How do you make a coffee and tonic?
Build it directly in a highball glass over ice: pour in the tonic water and liqueur first, then add the cold brew coffee last so it settles in a visible layer. It is stirred lightly just before drinking rather than shaken, keeping the tonic's carbonation intact.
What is the ratio of coffee to tonic?
This build uses far more tonic water than coffee, with cold brew making up only a small top layer rather than half the glass. Using too much coffee turns the drink flat and muddies the tonic's sparkle, so it is added sparingly.
What glass is coffee and tonic served in?
A highball glass, built over ice so the tonic stays fizzy and the coffee can be seen settling through it.