Shaft Drink

Shaft cocktails in glasses on ice, garnished with coffee beans.

Why we love this shaft drink

We accidentally discovered this cocktail while we were visiting family in British Columbia. I picked up a pack of pre-made shaft cocktails to bring on our camping trip.

They honestly weren’t great, but I soon discovered that the cocktail is well known in the Victoria area and it’s even better when it’s freshly made with Irish cream and fresh brewed espresso.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

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Equipment

Cocktail Shaker

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Easy Measure Jigger

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Old Fashioned Glass

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Ingredients & substitutions

Vodka – The shaft drink is usually made with plain-old vodka, but I recently got a bottle of chocolate vodka at a local distillery and it works really well in this drink. Really any flavor that you would put in your coffee will work in this drink.
Coffee liqueur
Irish cream
Espresso – If you don’t have the ability to brew fresh espresso, you can substitute cold brew, but the fresh espresso creates a really nice texture in the drink.

Shaft drinks in old fashioned glasses, garnished with coffee beans.

How to make a shaft drink

Brew the espresso. If you’re brewing your own espresso, make sure you do this ahead of time. You don’t want it to be hot when you add it to the drink. Give it some time to come to room temperature.

Mix the drink. Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake until cold. You could also add the ingredients to your glass with ice and just stir until cold, but I like the frothy texture you get when shaking it.

Garnish and serve. Strain your cocktail into a glass filled with ice. There’s not wrong glassware for this time of cocktail, but it’s usually served in a lowball or highball glass.

Typically shaft cocktails aren’t garnished with anything. But I like to pull from an espresso martini and garnish with some coffee beans.

Everything you need to know the shaft cocktail

Where did the drink shaft originate?

The shaft cocktail originated in Calgary, Alberta, but it’s become very popular on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, which is where I first tried the drink.

Close up of the top of a shaft cocktail, showing the foam and ice topped with coffee beans.

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3 cocktails in different old fashioned glasses.

Prep Time 2

Servings

The shaft drink is a fun Canadian cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and espresso (or cold brew coffee). It’s sweet, creamy and sure to give you the pick-me-up you need for your night out.