The Grind Guide to Christmas Coffee

The Complete Guide to Christmas Coffee Drinks

The holidays are nearly here, which means it’s time to get Christmassy with our favourite festive coffee drinks. As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, we love cosying up with a warming winter coffee that we can make in minutes at home, without stepping into the cold to get to a café. 

So, we've put together a complete guide to Christmas coffee drink ideas and recipes to keep you warm and cosy this winter, and to add a bit of extra joy (and caffeine) to the festive season. 

Christmas Coffee Drink Ideas

Always start with thinking of your favourite Christmas flavour, and there's probably a syrup for it out there that transforms our speciality coffee into a delicious festive treat. 

We're getting you started with our top seven: Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, Nutmeg & Orange Coffee, Spiced Caramel Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, and Mocha. 

Peppermint Mocha Recipe

The classic nostalgic flavour of peppermint candy cane with the added creamy sweetness of chocolate and the rich taste of a full-bodied espresso. You can find our full peppermint mocha recipe with tips and tricks here.

Ingredients for 1 serving: 

• 175ml milk
• 175ml brewed espresso or strong coffee
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp mint extract or ½ tsp peppermint syrup
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• Whipped cream

Method: 

1. In a small saucepan, add the milk, cocoa powder, and sugar. Heat over a medium heat until small bubbles begin to form around the edge and the sugar has dissolved. 
2. Stir in the espresso or coffee, mint extract, and vanilla extract. Remove from the heat. 
3. Serve in a large mug or heatproof glass and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 

Gingerbread Latte Recipe

With warming winter spices, our sweet and creamy gingerbread latte is festive coffee at its best. You can see the full recipe with tips, tricks, and alternatives here. 

Ingredients for 1 serving: 

• 100ml freshly brewed coffee
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 300ml whole milk
• Whipped cream

Method: 

1. Brew 100ml of coffee and pour into a tall glass or large mug. 
2. In a bowl, combine the spices, sugar, and vanilla extract. 
3. In a pan alongside the sugar and spice mix, heat 75ml of the milk and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Gently whisk in the remaining milk in 50ml portions until mixed well, then heat through until steaming. 
4. Add the spiced milk to your coffee and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground ginger. 

Eggnog Latte Recipe

A rich and luxurious Christmas coffee recipe. You can see our full recipe, including how to make your own eggnog at home, here. 

Ingredients for 1 serving: 

• 35ml brewed espresso or strong coffee
• 100ml milk, steamed and whisked
• 150ml eggnog
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

Method: 

1. Pour the espresso into a large mug or glass.
2. Steam and froth your milk using a Milk Frother or hand whisk, then add most of it to your coffee.
3. Add the eggnog. 
4. Stir, add the rest of the frothy milk, and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon. 

Nutmeg & Orange Christmas Coffee Recipe

Lightly spiced and a little sweet, this drink tastes like Christmas morning. 

Ingredients for 4 servings: 

• 4 tbsp speciality-grade ground coffee (preferably in our Light Blend) 
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 pitted dates
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cloves
• Orange zest

Method:

1. Place the ground coffee, cinnamon stick, and dates in a large cafetière. 
2. Add the ground nutmeg, cloves, and orange zest, and then pour in 400ml hot water (very hot, but not boiling—that burns the coffee). 
3. Stir gently, then leave to brew for 4 minutes. 
4. Slowly push down the plunger and serve. 

Spiced Caramel Latte Recipe

With all the best seasonal spices plus the malty sweetness of caramel, this Christmas coffee has it all. 

Ingredients for 2 servings: 

• 240ml freshly brewed coffee (we'd recommend using our Caramel Coffee Pods)
• 250ml whole milk 
• 1 tbsp caramel sauce
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground ginger

Method: 

1. In a bowl, combine the spices and set aside. 
2. Brew your coffee and heat your milk either in a milk frother or in the microwave. 
3. Fill two mugs with equal portions of coffee, spice mix, and milk, and give it a stir. 
4. Top with whipped cream and add the caramel sauce on top. 

Chestnut Praline Recipe

With festive nutty flavours, creamy milk, and rich coffee, this Christmas drinks smells almost as good as it tastes. 

Ingredients for 1 serving: 

For the chestnut praline syrup -

• 55g pecans
• 5-6 peeled cooked chestnuts
• 150g dark brown sugar
• 48g caster sugar
• 235ml water
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt

For the latte - 

• 110ml freshly brewed strong coffee, or 2 shots of espresso
• 120ml milk
• 1-2 tbsp of chestnut praline syrup
• Whipped cream

Method - for the syrup: 

1. Preheat your oven to 175C. Break up the chestnuts into quarters or halves and place on a baking sheet with the pecans as well. 
2. Roast them for 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn them!
3. Once roasted, chop roughly and add to a saucepan with the brown and white sugar and water. 
4. Bring to a boil, stirring often to make sure the sugar dissolves and doesn’t burn.
5.  Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. Take the mixture off the heat, add vanilla extract and sea salt, stir, and leave to cool for 10 minutes. 
7. Strain the syrup into a jar and allow it to cool completely before closing it. Keep stored in the fridge. 

Method - for the latte: 

1. Brew your coffee and heat and froth your milk using a milk frother or hand whisk.
2. Pour the hot frothy milk into a tall glass cup and add espresso and the syrup. 
3. Stir and then top with whipped cream. 

Chocolate Coffee (Mocha) Recipe

Combining two of life’s greatest pleasures, this chocolate coffee recipe is one of our favourite cosy season drinks. We like to think of it as a hot chocolate for adults. You can see our full guide to making the perfect mocha here. 

Ingredients for 1 serving: 

• 40ml brewed coffee (around 18g ground coffee for one shot of espresso) - we'd recommend using our Mocha Coffee Pods
• 250ml milk
• 1 tsp drinking chocolate
• 1 tsp sugar
• Whipped cream

Method: 

1. Pour your freshly brewed coffee into a large mug and add the drinking chocolate and sugar.
2. Mix well until smooth.
3. Steam and froth your milk using a milk frother. 
4. Top your chocolate coffee with the frothy milk and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 

Ready to Make a Christmas Coffee Drink? 

The best way to make café-worthy Christmas drinks at home is with barista-quality coffee. Thankfully, that’s what we specialise in. 

Choose from our range of ethically-sourced, speciality-grade coffee in Nespresso® compatible, home-compostable coffee pods or as whole bean and ground coffee. 

If you're using coffee pods, we'd unsurprisingly suggest you get your hands on our sleek and powerful Coffee Pod Machine and Milk Frother to make sure you're getting the very best from your pods, making fuller-bodied, barista-style coffees at home. 

You can shop our flavoured compostable coffee pods here. 

We're big on our at-home coffee recipes. You can find them all here.