Good quality fresh coffee can make a real difference to the taste of a finished cocktail, providing a rich, deep stimulating flavour to the drink.

Most recipes referring to fresh coffee require a shot of strong espresso, rather than filter coffee. It is therefore recommended to have an espresso machine or moka pot to hand, together with good quality Arabica coffee.

If you have a coffee grinder, you can buy roasted coffee beans and grind them just before making the brew. Otherwise, it is easy to find ground coffee of a high enough quality in most shops.

To produce coffee beans, the seed of a cherry which grows on a tropical bush is first dried, and then roasted. First discovered and consumed in the 9th century in Ethiopia, coffee spread throughout North Africa, the Middle East, Persia and Turkey before reaching Europe and the rest of the world.

Thanks to its caffeine content, fresh coffee can add a stimulating effect to cocktails, making it an essential ingredient for making Irish Coffee Martini, Coffee Batida or Vodka Espresso.