The Best Christmas Coffee Drinks From Around the World
It’s the most wonderful time of the year–Christmas! For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, the temperatures are quite cold for this time of year depending on where you live (I never experienced truly cold weather in California … I was so spoiled back then). In this cold weather, there’s nothing better than a nice, hot beverage to keep you warm. Well, what I have for you today are a few of the best Christmas coffee drinks from around the world that I know you’ll enjoy making or trying. Now, I must say, people enjoy drinking these coffee flavors all throughout the year, but they do taste best around Christmastime (in my very humble opinion). So please, scroll down to learn more about some of these DELICIOUS international hot coffee drinks. As an added bonus, they’ll make your house smell oh-so-good, too!
These are many people’s FAVORITE holiday coffee drinks around!
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Moroccan Spiced Coffee
So, what’s so special about Moroccan spiced coffee?
Well, it’s a dark coffee that’s made with several different warm spices and it’s super popular in Morocco.
If you’ve ever been to Morocco as a tourist, there is a chance that you’ve never had this coffee before. The reason for this is that this kind of coffee is normally made at home and not sold in cafes.
The good thing about making this coffee from home is that you can adjust the spices based on your personal preferences.
For example, you can add more cardamom and lessen the amount of cinnamon or nutmeg.
It’s so easy to make, too!
You basically mix the ground spices into your coffee grinder and voila!
Of course, to make it even easier for you, you can just mix the ground spices into your already-ground coffee, too.
Please, if you’re interested in making this delicious Christmas coffee drink, take a look at this article by The Spruce Eats to learn more.
Christmas Coffee Drinks: Mexican Spiced Coffee (Cafe de Olla)
The literal translation of Cafe de Olla is “coffee from a pot”. It’s called this because traditionally people made this coffee in an earthen clay pot, which gives the coffee a unique flavor.
**This Mexican spiced coffee is especially popular to serve during Christmas celebrations, which they call posadas in Mexico.
This is why I would say Mexican cafe de olla is one of the most PERFECT Christmas coffee drinks around!
Anyway, the following are the main ingredients for this traditional Mexican drink recipe:
- Water
- Ground coffee (dark)
- Panela (AKA Piloncillo – brown sugar cane)
- Cinnamon
(FYI, if you don’t have panela, you can always substitute it with dark brown sugar).
For more flavor, some people like to add the following:
- Orange peel
- Anise
- Cloves
If you want, you can also buy a pre-made cafe de olla coffee from Amazon, like this one, which currently has over 1,000 high ratings.
Now, if you’re looking for how to make Mexican cafe de olla, AKA Mexican spiced coffee, I highly, highly, highly recommend you check out this Youtube video by Views on the road:
Other Christmas Recipes from Around the World
- Swiss Christmas Cookie Recipes You’ll Need to Try This Year!
- 5 Fantastic Christmas Spiced Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- 5 Christmas Rice Recipes You’ll Love!
- South African Christmas Lunch Menu Ideas
- German Sourdough Stollen for Christmas
Arabic Coffee with Cardamom
So, this SUPER DUPER popular drink is called Qahwa and you make it with lightly roasted green coffee beans, cardamom, and saffron.
(FYI, Qahwa means coffee).
It’s a traditional Arabic coffee recipe that people normally drink after breaking the fast during Ramadan.
FYI, traditionally, people drink it with a side of dates. Also, it’s served from a kind of coffee pot called a dallah and the teacups are smaller with no handles.
Now, I must warn you that for some people this kind of coffee is an acquired taste. However, people often add different aromas and flavors to it which makes it very delicious!
And, the good thing is that it’s not too difficult to make.
You’ll basically only have to do the following:
- Add water to a saucepan.
- Warm the water.
- Add ground coffee and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Then, add the spices and let them simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
- Strain the coffee.
- Stir in the rose water.
- Add some sugar (optional).
- Drink!
As of this writing, there are over 40,000 ratings with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating.
That’s how you know people like it 😉
Chukku Kaapi (Ginger Coffee)
So, this is another spiced coffee drink that may be an acquired taste for some … but many people LOVE IT!
Some people say it’s very healthy for you and it’s the perfect fix if you’ve got any of the following:
- Cough
- Cold
- Nasal congestion
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Indigestion
It’s arguably one of the best winter coffee drinks around (probably because of the health benefits).
(And, it’s an enjoyable Christmas coffee drink … it has good flavor and you don’t want to be sick during the holidays!)
Ok, so before I get too carried away, I can’t forget to tell you it’s a drink that originates from Kerala, India.
You make it by brewing ground ginger with your coffee powder.
Now, many people add cardamom and sugar (yum), making it a very suitable Christmas coffee drink 😉
Please, take a look at the video below by indiafood recipes to see just how intriguing this Indian ginger coffee recipe is!
Indian Spiced Masala Coffee
Ok, so if ginger, cardamom, and sugar are not your thing (referring to the ginger recipe above), Indian spiced masala coffee is definitely one you should consider making for a GREAT Christmas coffee drink option!
The good thing about Indian spiced coffee is that you can basically add whatever spices you like. However, some of the most common ones include:
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Cardamom
- Ginger
- Coriander
Also, it’s very popular to add milk and sugar to this kind of coffee, if you like.
Also, for your convenience, I am adding an EXCELLENT video recipe video by Steven Heap so you can see just how EASY it is to make one of these Christmas coffee drinks:
Irish Coffee as an Example of Christmas Coffee Drinks
Ok, so this is actually one of the more popular holiday coffee drinks, at least here in the United States.
Although it’s a very popular drink around St. Patrick’s Day, the flavors are PERFECT for Christmastime, too.
Also, you must know, it’s NOT a drink for kids.
It’s an alcoholic drink that you make using Irish whiskey, hot coffee, and sugar, and you top it off with cream.
FYI, these are not your typical Starbucks Christmas drinks lol.
Of course, you can make this drink non-alcoholic, too!
All you’ll need is freshly brewed coffee (hot), sugar, rum extract (it only has a little bit of alcohol in it), and heavy whipping cream.
Here … please take a look at this non-alcoholic Irish coffee recipe by Savor the Flavour to see what I mean.
Otherwise, here’s a different recipe by Youtuber Rockin’ Roastin’:
Christmas Coffee Drinks FAQs
Now, here are some answers to frequently asked questions related to Christmas coffee drinks.
What are the seasonal coffees?
Typical seasonal Christmas coffee drinks, whether in the United States or elsewhere, contain any of the following Christmas coffee flavors and ingredients:
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla
- Orange peel
- Peppermint
- Gingerbread
- Eggnog
- Chocolate
- White chocolate
- Mocha
- Sugar cookie
- Chestnut
- Praline
How to drink Irish Coffee?
You drink Irish coffee through the cream. In other words, do not stir the cream into the coffee. Instead, just sip the coffee letting the cream naturally mix in with the coffee as you sip it.
What is the most popular coffee in America?
Starbucks is arguably the most popular coffee in America. You can even use some of your favorite Starbucks coffee grounds for some of these recipes for the Christmas coffee drinks mentioned above!
Final Thoughts on Christmas Coffee Drinks
And that’s a wrap! What are your thoughts on these festive Christmas coffee drinks from around the world? What do you think of these Christmas coffee flavors? Are you looking forward to making any of these recipes? If so, please let me know in the comments below! Hope to hear from you soon!
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