Boozy Affogato: this mix of coffee gin liqueur and vanilla ice cream can be a dessert or a cocktail!

This wonderfully boozy affogato recipe sits somewhere between gin cocktail and dessert - it’s basically an Espresso Martini with ice cream on top. Yum!

That’s right, this classic Italian dessert has been given an alcoholic twist and we can not get enough…

While this dessert cocktail may seem a little extravagant, it’s brimming with subtle and complex nut and coffee tones that come from mixing Elephant Gin Coffee Liqueur, from the amazing team at Elephant Gin (who are part of Craft Gin Club’s wonderful Family of Distillers), with hazelnut liqueur and espresso.

The Elephant Gin Coffee Liqueur, which is made with Elephant Aged Gin and only the finest ethically sourced Ethiopian coffee beans, has a symphony of roast coffee, cranberry, nougat and brown sugar tones that are utterly divine.

They are the perfect compliment to the smooth, sweet nuttiness of the hazelnut liqueur, in this affogato recipe.

An added shot of fresh espresso then takes everything up to new levels of scrumptiousness.

All of these elements, when combined with the creamy, melting, luxuriously mellow vanilla ice cream, make for a heavenly sip (or spoonful) of something truly special.

How do you drink affogato?

We recommend sipping slowly, allowing some of the ice cream to melt and mix with the coffee mixture, or using a spoon to scoop like an ice cream sundae.

What does “affogato” mean?

The literal translation of “affogato” from Italian to English is “drowned”, however, it is also the name of a classic Italian dessert which is made by pouring fresh espresso coffee over vanilla ice cream.

Is affogato hot or cold?

As affogato is hot coffee poured over cold ice cream, the dessert will be a delectable mix of hot and cold temperatures to begin with but will eventually be cold throughout.

Is affogato a drink or a dessert?

Affogato is traditionally a dessert, which was invented in Italy. As we mentioned above, it can be sipped like a drink.

How do you make affogato coffee?

For the traditional affogato recipe, you simply add one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream or gelato to a glass and pour a shot of fresh espresso coffee over the top. You can find our boozy affogato recipe below.

We’ve selected vanilla ice cream for our recipe, but we suggest playing around with different flavours. Why not try chocolate ice cream for an extra bit of indulgence?