The 12 Best Coffee Drinks From Around the World

Eggs and coffee may not seem like the best combination, but they blend together seamlessly in this classic coffee from Vietnam. Some claim that egg coffee was born when a fresh milk shortage hit Vietnam in the mid-20th Century. An enterprising barista decided to substitute whipped eggs. Although an unlikely combination, it worked. The creation became wildly popular and can be found throughout Vietnam today. Making one at home is easy. Whip an egg yoke with sweetened condensed milk and pour it on top of a strong espresso.

If you love coffee and ice cream, the Italian affogato was created for you. It’s unclear who first came up with the idea of serving vanilla ice cream and espresso in the same cup, but the drink caught on in the early 1900s. To try one at home, put a big scoop of ice cream in a mug before adding a shot of hot espresso. The key to a successful affogato is pouring the espresso over the ice cream just before serving and consuming it before the ice cream melts. There is a debate about whether affogato is a coffee drink or a dessert. It can be found in coffee shops and on dessert menus throughout Italy. Try one and decide for yourself.

The first coffee plant was brought to Cuba in the mid-1700s. However, coffee cultivation on the island didn’t take off until decades later when an influx of freed French slaves used their farming skills to improve the crop. Cuba also produces a large amount of sugar, so naturally, the Cubans combined the two to create a unique beverage. Cafe Cubano is a powerful and sweet drink usually made with a stovetop Moka brewer. However, it can be made with any espresso. The key to making cafe Cubano at home is to whip demerara sugar with the first few drops of freshly brewed espresso until it forms a foam. Then, add the rest of the espresso. The resulting drink has a smooth, velvety texture. Cafe Cubano is served in a small cup, likely harkening back to when coffee and other foods were rationed in Cuba.

You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy the classic combination of coffee and whiskey. Today, Irish coffee is enjoyed around the world by people from all walks of life. However, it was originally created as a drink for the elite on quick stopovers in Ireland. In the 1940s, Foynes Port near Limerick, Ireland, was one of the busiest airports in Europe because it was a waypoint for planes that needed to refuel. Traveling by air was a luxury, and the town opened an upscale restaurant for the politicians and Hollywood stars who landed there. One cold night, the chef created a special drink for weary passengers. It was an instant hit. A classic Irish coffee is made by warming a cup, stirring strong coffee and sugar until the sugar dissolves, adding whiskey, and pouring lightly whipped cream on top. Say ‘Do shláinte,’ Galic for “To Your Health” before drinking.

Today, coffee is usually made by brewing beans in a specially designed machine. However, when coffee was first brought to Turkey in the 1500s, sophisticated brewing techniques did not exist. Instead, Turks boiled finely ground coffee beans in a cezve, a long-necked pot typically made out of copper or brass, resulting in a thick, rich drink. Hundreds of years later, coffee is still made the same way.  Unlike almost every other type of coffee, Turkish coffee is not filtered. Instead, coffee grounds are brewed in the cezve until a foam forms on top and then poured directly into a cup. Coffee grounds gradually sink to the bottom while the coffee cools. Turkish coffee can be sweetened by adding a cube of sugar to the mixture while it’s boiling.  If you are lucky, you may be able to find someone to tell your fortune by looking at how your coffee grounds landed in your mug.

Frappe is one of the most popular drinks in Greece, but it was invented entirely by accident. During a fair in the 1950s, a Nestle employee named  Dimitris Vakondios was tasked with making a cold, chocolate-flavored drink for children using a shaker. During his break, Vakondios wanted his usual Nescafé Classic but could not find hot water. He put cold water and instant coffee in the shaker to get his caffeine fix and hoped for the best. The result was so good that he made it again. Today, the frappe is the official beverage of Greece. To make a Greek frappe, mix instant coffee and cold water until it foams, and pour the mixture over ice. Some still use a shaker, but you can get the same result with a hand mixer or frother. For a sweeter frappe, add sugar before shaking. Milk can also be added to taste once the frappe has been poured into a glass.

When a regular at a Moscow cafe named Rafael Timberbaev wanted a milk-based coffee that wasn’t cappuccino, the barista got creative. They mixed a shot of espresso, heavy cream, and vanilla sugar together before steaming the mixture. The drink was so popular the cafe added it to its menu and named it after the customer who inspired the idea. Raf coffee soon spread throughout Russia and beyond. Brew espresso to make a Raf at home, then add heavy cream and vanilla sugar. Then, steam the mixture with a steaming wand. If you don’t have a steaming wand, heat the cream on the stove before mixing it with the coffee and sugar, and use a French press to plunge the mixture repeatedly until it doubles in size. Once you’ve mastered the classic version, experiment with different flavored sugars and spices.

Legend holds that kopi gu yu has Chinese origins because it was first served in Hainanese coffee shops in Singapore in the 1930s. The distinguishing feature of this drink is the slab of butter placed on top of rich, think coffee made with condensed milk. The butter gives the coffee a caramelized flavor and softens its harsh notes. Some believe that the fat in the butter helped give laborers extra energy, while others think that it helped soothe the throats of opium smokers who frequented the cafes where kopi gu yu was served. Today, some cafes roast beans in butter to produce a similar flavor, but traditional kopi gu yu can still be found in Singapore. To make kopi gu yu at home, brew a cup of strong coffee, add condensed milk, and top with a pat of butter.

During the Mexican Revolution, women prepared coffee in clay pots with spices to give the soldiers energy. The coffee came to be known as café de olla or “pot coffee.” To make café de olla at home, you don’t need a clay pot.  Simmer cinnamon, brown sugar, cloves, and star anis for a simplified version until the brown sugar dissolves. Then, add the syrup to freshly brewed hot or iced coffee. Some people like to make their café de olla “piquete” by adding a shot of brandy, rum, or Kahlua.

Cafe Touba is named after the Senegalese city, where it was first introduced as part of religious Sufi practice. The leader of the Mouride Brotherhood is said to have brought the drink back with him after he was exiled to Gabon as punishment for peaceful resistance to French colonialism. The drink is believed to have medicinal properties and to keep those who drink it up all night. Today, the drink can be found throughout Senegal. What distinguishes cafe Tobua from other coffee drinks is that it is not just spicy but spicy thanks to the addition of Selim or Guinea pepper, also known as djar. For an easy at-home version, place strong coffee along with ground djar, and cloves into a coffee machine and brew as usual. Add sugar to taste and enjoy. Some substitute black pepper if they can’t find djar or add cardamom.

There are different versions of the story of how yuanang, a rich combination of coffee and tea, came to be. A likely explanation is that when the British ruled Hong Kong, their tradition of drinking tea caught on with a twist. Yuanang is a mixture of coffee, black tea, sugar, and milk. It sounds simple, but the drink has a rich, complex flavor. To make an easy version of yuanang at home, combine brewed coffee and black tea in a mug, then add sugar and half-and-half. A more sophisticated and time-consuming version uses milk tea instead of black tea. No matter how you make it, yuanang is a great option for those who are indecisive but need a caffeine fix.

Mazagran is believed to have originated in the coastal town of Mostaganem in northwest Algeria, where a fort bears the same name as the popular coffee drink. Starting in the 1840s, Algeria was occupied by French troops who mixed cold water with strong Algerian coffee to keep cool and stay awake for their nightly watches. These troops brought the recipe back to Europe with them, where it spread through the continent and evolved to include regional variations with lemon juice, cane sugar, mint, and alcohol. Today, a variation of mazagran made with lemon is especially popular in Portugal, also known as Portuguese Iced Coffee or Coffee Lemonade. It’s easy to make. Just mix iced coffee, lemon juice, and sugar to taste. Add rum for a spiked version or soda water for a bubbly summer treat.