Patrón XO Café Adds Spirit To Coffee Drinks

If you're a coffee drinker and you enjoy something with a little kick, chances are you will love Patrón XO Café, a tequila-based coffee spirit -- even if you're not a tequila fan.

And if you are, you might want to start building an extra room for storing your bottles of XO Café you will no doubt be hoarding. Because if you don't grab some bottles, I might try to keep them all for myself.

Think of XO Café as upping the ante a bit: Because it's a blend of ultra-premium tequila and the essence of pure coffee, the flavor is more complex and not as sweet as coffee liqueurs such as Kahlúa. And, at 70 percent, the alcohol content is a lot higher than coffee liqueurs, which run at about 20 percent.

That said, XO Café can play just as well in cocktails as its sweeter, lower-alcohol counterparts, making for a tasty topper on ice cream or in a milkshake. It also speaks Russian well, albeit with a Mexican accent. You don't even need the vodka. Instead, mix XO Café with some half-and-half for a tequila-tinged twist on the classic White Russian. Just make sure to keep your wits about you: With the higher alcohol content. XO Café is not a sissy quaff and can easily sneak up on you.

Here are a few recipes from Patrón to help you embark on your own XO exploration.

Raging Bull

½ lime
½ oz. Patrón XO Café
Chilled cola
Method: In an ice filled 10-ounce highball glass, squeeze in half of a lime and drop it into the glass. Add XO Café and chilled cola.

Ladies Night

1 oz. XO Café
1 oz. vanilla-flavored vodka
1 oz. Amaretto or Frangelico
Coffee beans (for garnish)
Method: In a cocktail glass full of ice, combine all ingredients. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with coffee beans.

XO Café Tini

Chocolate syrup
¾ XO Café
¾ White Crème de Cacao
¾ half & half
Swirl glass with chocolate syrup. Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass.

Perhaps the simplest and purest way to enjoy XO Café is straight up. Think of it as coffee and dessert!