If you love to end a meal with dessert and a drink, then you must try monkey coffee. With a little coffee, a little booze and a dose of chocolate creaminess, monkey coffee is a cocktail that pairs perfectly with (or replaces entirely) your usual after-dinner treats.
Although it might sound like something your kids would make up while pretending to run their jungle cafe, monkey coffee is very much an adult (human) beverage.
This recipe, found on Tipsy Bartender, requires a bit of advance preparation, as it calls for coffee ice cubes. Start by brewing some coffee and letting it cool to room temperature. Then, pour the coffee into an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer until the coffee turns into neat little cubes of caffeinated goodness.
Once your coffee ice cubes are good to go, gather the other ingredients: cake-flavored vodka, amaretto, Bailey’s Irish Cream, milk (or half-and-half) and chocolate syrup.
You’ll begin with a little bit of monkeying about: Drizzle the chocolate syrup all around the glass, and then pour in all the liquors. Add some coffee ice cubes and top it all off with milk or half-and-half. A cherry goes on top, if you’re so inclined.
Find all the details and measurements here, and watch how the drink comes together in the Tipsy Bartender’s video below.
For another coffee-flavored “monkey” cocktail with some tropical flair, check out the recipe for the Funky Monkey Rum-key blended drink, found on the Queen Bean Coffee blog. This one also calls for brewed coffee that’s been chilled (but not frozen) overnight. Then, using a blender, combine coffee, ice, Malibu rum and one banana. Serve in a chilled glass with a rim that’s been dipped in chocolate sauce and sugar.
The Whole Latte Love YouTube channel offers a similar version of monkey coffee with the flavors of banana and tropical rum, except that this drink calls for hot espresso and steamed milk. In their video, hosts Morgan and Marc show you how to make a Funky Monkey Latte, which is a latte (espresso and steamed milk) spiked with banana-flavored syrup, chocolate syrup and rum. The toasty beverage will make you feel warm and spirited — in more ways than one. Watch the duo put together this concoction here.
If you don’t have the time (or patience) to brew up any actual coffee for your monkey coffee drinks, simply break out the coffee-flavored liqueurs. The Spruce Eats has a recipe for a deliciously booze-forward beverage called The Talking Monkey Cocktail, which combines both espresso vodka and coffee liqueur, plus banana liqueur, chocolate vodka and cream. Find the full recipe here.
For more of a milkshake spin on this same banana-coffee-booze drink, check out the Frozen Monkey Cocktail recipe on the One Bananas website. Using vanilla ice cream, milk, coffee liqueur, vodka and a banana, this grown-up frozen treat at least includes a little calcium and potassium!
And here’s a bonus monkey recipe for the morning after you’ve indulged in these delicious cocktails: Food52’s Jumpin’ Monkey Coffee blends up cooled espresso (or strong coffee), milk, frozen bananas, Greek yogurt, cocoa powder and honey for a protein-packed and caffeinated start to your day. One commenter pointed out that you can, of course, add Bailey’s or Kahlua to the drink and make that jumpin’ monkey act a little sillier.
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