After hearty meals during New Year celebrations, I prefer my cocktails coffee-infused. While I’m never averse towards the fruity, festive drinks variety, my tastes always end up swaying the way of dark and bittersweet liqueur coffee.

I find coffee cocktails, particularly amaretto blends, give me both the buzz I’m seeking in the midst of jovial festivities as well as the perk my body requires to stay up till the wee hours, enjoying the moment’s every last drop. When it comes to sweet almond-tinged amaretto, of course, nothing beats the original Italian Disaronno, long the liqueur of choice for satisfying coffee cocktails.

Classic Disaronno

The classic is as simple as it gets. Pour 1.5 ounces of Disaronno into a tumbler glass, 5 ounces of coffee and add sugar to taste. Take about an ounce of cream, poured over the back of a spoon to create an attractive top layer.

New Year Darkness

For this drink, I prefer one full ounce of Cognac with about .75 ounces of Disaronno mixed into a glass. Top it up with coffee, add a small chunk of dark, bitter chocolate and sugar (start with one teaspoonful) to taste.

Caffe Disaronno

This lovely melding of bitter and sweet has always been my New Year’s favorite – it will probably become yours too. To make it, mix 1.5 ounces of Disaronno, 1.5 ounces of De Kuyper Crème De Cacao and about four ounces of steaming-hot black coffee on a tall glass. Float a small helping of whipped cream on top and enjoy the celebrations – from the build-up to the fireworks down to the wee hour festivities.