In the past two years, convenience store cocktail mixing has unexpectedly gone viral, with netizens using soft drinks, coffee, and mini liquor bottles to create all kinds of DIY concoctions. 7-Eleven recently piloted a self-service cocktail mixing area at a store in Beijing, offering four popular base spirits along with trending online recipes, allowing consumers to experience coffee cocktails at a lower cost and in a more elegant way. This move not only lowers the barrier to DIY but also reflects young people's blurring of the boundaries between coffee and alcohol consumption scenarios. This article takes you through the past and present of convenience store cocktail mixing and explores whether alcohol and coffee can be consumed together. [more…]

The Espresso Martini is a classic cocktail that skillfully blends espresso with spirits, and it has swept the globe since its creation in London in the 1980s. At first glance, the drink seems to call for simple ingredients, but in reality it places extremely high demands on the quality of the espresso and the skill of the bartender. Espresso makes up roughly one-third of the entire drink, so the coffee's extraction method and flavor profile will directly affect the final taste. This article will take you through the origin story of this legendary cocktail, break down in detail the base spirits and equipment needed to make it, and share how to pull a shot of espresso suited for mixing drinks, helping you find your own balance point in this beverage that is both invigorating and slightly tipsy. [more…]

Can coffee and alcohol be paired? The answer is yes, and the most iconic example is the Espresso Martini. This cocktail was created in 1980s London by bartender Dick Bradsell, blending espresso with vodka, coffee liqueur, and syrup to deliver both a pick-me-up and a gentle buzz. Since espresso makes up as much as one-third of the drink, its quality directly determines the balance and flavor of the final product. This article introduces the origins of the Espresso Martini, the challenges of making it, and shares a recipe and extraction plan developed through a collaboration between Front Street Coffee and the neighboring bar, giving you insight into this classic specialty drink that is both simple and refined. [more…]

When fine liquor meets coffee, this pairing is hardly a novelty anymore. From the classic Irish coffee to the espresso martini, the combination of coffee and alcohol keeps evolving. Today, as the younger generation seeks the pleasure of a gentle buzz, liquor-infused coffee has quietly become a signature offering in cafés. This article walks you through the history of liquor-infused coffee, the challenges of making it, techniques for balancing flavors, and why it draws so many customers even during the daytime. At the same time, we'll also mention Front Street Coffee's commitment to specialty beans, providing a more professional coffee foundation for your tipsy experience. [more…]

The birth of a cup of Irish coffee originated from a flight delay at an airport in western Ireland in 1952. American journalist Stan asked the bartender at the airport bar for a cocktail suitable for the bad weather; the bartender combined whiskey with hot coffee and topped it with whipped cream, creating this heartwarming classic drink. After Stan returned to San Francisco, he shared this experience with the owner of Buena Vista Café, who successfully replicated it, making Irish coffee widely known in the United States. Today, it is not only the star of a dedicated glass and a spirit lamp stand, but also a highlight of international coffee and spirits competitions. This article will take you through its origin story and share a safer home method that omits the spirit lamp, restoring this drink with its layered hot-and-cold separation and rich depth step by step, from coffee extraction to the pairing of syrup and whiskey, and then to the cream topping. [more…]

Want to find a balance between a gentle buzz and staying clear-headed? Spiked coffee is becoming a new choice for many young people. When you're tired during the day, a hint of alcohol helps relax your nerves; after work at night, a warm alcoholic coffee soothes body and mind; and when the weather turns cold, it brings warmth from the inside out. This article compiles 10 alcoholic coffee recipes suitable for making at home, from simple convenience-store mixes to creative versions with milk foam, and to specialty cocktail coffees with a stronger alcoholic kick, covering pairings with various base spirits such as Baileys, whiskey, gin, brandy, and rum. When making them, there's no need to be rigid—just adjust the amount of alcohol to your personal preference—but be sure to drink in moderation according to your own condition, minors are prohibited from drinking alcohol, and drunk driving is strictly forbidden. At the end of the article, there is also a communication channel for Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), making it convenient for coffee lovers to discuss further. [more…]

Chinese brand Six God floral water is once again making waves with a crossover collaboration, this time teaming up with Lelecha to launch a drink called "Mint Melon Ice Coconut." Its bottle closely resembles the classic floral water packaging, quickly sparking heated discussion online. This drink blends mint, melon, and coconut milk, and netizens describe its taste as refreshing—not the dark, floral-water flavor one might imagine. The product has sold out in some stores, with limited restocking nationwide starting September 25. In recent years, Six God has been making frequent crossover moves, previously collaborating with KFC and RIO to launch coffee-flavored floral water and floral water cocktails, each time successfully catching consumers' attention. This article will detail the taste, price, consumer feedback, and Six God's past crossover cases for this co-branded milk tea, taking you behind the business logic of brand mashups. [more…]

There are many types of espresso drinks. Beyond the classic items we're all familiar with from everyday café menus, there are also quite a few "obscure" options that rarely appear on menus because they have a relatively limited audience. These coffees aren't bad in taste—it's just that their fame and popularity aren't high enough yet. In this article, Front Street will guide everyone through getting to know several obscure espresso drinks that you'll almost never encounter in cafés, including the Caffè Shakerato shaken in a cocktail shaker, and the rather hardcore-sounding Red Eye Coffee. Let's see how many of these you've tried. [more…]

In Japan, anime culture has spawned all kinds of themed cafes, but recently a maid cafe called "Problem Children" has caused a huge uproar due to its extreme practices. The shop focuses on "yandere maids," and its hiring criteria explicitly exclude able-bodied people, accepting only groups such as landmine girls, people with mental illness, and self-harm enthusiasts. Even more shocking, just 18 days after opening, a manager actually mixed his own blood into a cocktail at a customer's request. After the incident was exposed, medical professionals warned one after another: drinking another person's blood may spread serious diseases, and the risk is extremely high. Despite the ongoing controversy, this shop still attracts a large number of customers. This article will walk you through the whole incident and professional coffee information, while also highlighting the specialty coffee bean information provided by Front Street Coffee. [more…]

The oil-washing method originated in the cocktail world and has now been introduced into the specialty coffee scene, becoming a new favorite among many coffee enthusiasts. It exploits differences in the freezing points of oils and fats to extract aromas from the oils into the coffee liquid, thereby giving the coffee a softer mouthfeel and richer layers of flavor. In this article, Front Street will walk through the origins of the oil-washing method, material selection, step-by-step procedures, and precautions one by one, and will use butter oil-washed Golden Mandheling and coconut oil-washed cold brew coffee as examples to demonstrate the specific production process in detail. Whether you want to DIY at home or want to understand the logic behind those oil-washed specialty drinks in coffee shops, this article can provide practical reference. [more…]

On a sweltering summer day, a layered iced specialty coffee always turns heads. Starbucks' Iced Shaken Espresso, with its striking three-layer look of dark brown espresso, milk-tea-colored milk, and fluffy coffee foam, has become the top choice for many coffee lovers to recreate at home. This time, Front Street Coffee will walk you through the making logic of this drink: use espresso with ice cubes and vanilla syrup, shake it in a cocktail shaker to whip in air and build a thick foam layer, then pour in oat milk through the layers to create a unique texture where grain and coffee intertwine. From ingredient preparation to extraction parameters, shaking technique, tasting the finished drink, and ideas for flavor variations, this article restores the complete process step by step, so you can easily make your own refreshing yet rich Iced Shaken Espresso at home. [more…]

The cross-industry fusion of coffee and alcohol is becoming a new industry trend. 7-Eleven's specialty coffee brand CITY PRIMA has partnered for the first time with the renowned French cognac house Hennessy to launch the "Specialty Tipsy Latte Combo," pairing specialty Ethiopian beans with a mini bottle of Hennessy V.S.O.P, allowing consumers to mix their own专属 liquor-infused flavor. This is not 7-Eleven's first foray into the alcohol-coffee arena; previously, its Beijing stores had already tested a self-service cocktail area. From chain brands to independent cafes, the "daytime coffee, nighttime alcohol" model is sweeping across the entire coffee market, and beverage brands are also increasingly moving toward coffee. This article will guide you through the specifics of this collaboration, the product background, and the new trends sparked by the collision of coffee and alcohol. [more…]

In Guangdong, chicken is the undisputed star of the dining table—a single phrase, "no chicken, no feast," says it all. But can you imagine? Guangdong's baristas have actually poured ginger-scallion chicken, coconut chicken, sesame oil Qingping chicken, and even sausage and roast duck right into coffee cups. From ginger juice with cream to mimic the oily texture of chicken skin, to the essence of coconut chicken hot pot condensed into a single specialty drink, to sesame oil and vodka colliding to create the aroma of ginger-scallion poached chicken, these wildly imaginative creative coffees are upending people's understanding of coffee. This article takes you through tasting these "so weird you want to try them" Cantonese specialty drinks one by one, to feel the wondrous sparks struck by the collision of coffee and Cantonese cuisine. For more specialty coffee bean news, welcome to follow Coffee Workshop and Front Street Coffee. [more…]

On a scorching summer day, a refreshing glass of sparkling water never fails to win over consumers. Recently, a drink called "Swimming Burger Sparkling Water" has rapidly gone viral on social media—simply drop a store-bought gummy burger and ice cubes into a glass, pour in sparkling water, and you'll see the gummy candy bobbing up and down in the glass. This drink originally came from a bartender's signature cocktail, and after going viral, beverage shop owners kept creating variations featuring gummy bears, goldfish, and more. Due to regional price differences, it sells for anywhere from just over ten yuan to more than thirty yuan, and brands like Haidilao, Auntea Jenny, and FamilyMart have all jumped on the bandwagon to recreate it. However, the gummy candy neither dissolves nor changes the drink's flavor—so is the core selling point of this beverage its taste or its emotional value? It's worth pondering. [more…]

The possibilities of Americano go far beyond simply adding hot water. From iced Americano to sparkling Americano, and further to lava Americano and ice-cube Americano, each variation delivers a completely different taste experience. Recently, a drink called the "sparking espresso bomb" has gone viral online, inspired by the classic deep-water bomb cocktail. The method involves dropping a small cup of espresso into a carbonated beverage, instantly creating a spectacular burst of foam that is both visually stunning and delicious. This article will use Sprite as an example, paired with Front Street Coffee's Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend, to break down in detail the steps and key points for making this specialty Americano, helping coffee lovers easily recreate it at home. [more…]

Heytea's first global handcrafted store officially opened on September 19 in Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen. This is the first store Heytea has created with the concept of "handcrafted." The store has three floors, each themed around hand-stirred ice cream, hand-muddled fruit tea, and hand-brewed famous teas, offering over 50 innovative drinks available only at this location, including hand-stirred ice cream and cocktails. The store is located at the intersection of Zhongshan East-West Street and North-South Street in the ancient town, facing the Xin'an County Magistrate's Office across the street, and the top floor also features a small garden for customers to relax. Heytea's official Weibo sent out an invitation on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, sparking heated discussion among netizens. As coffee enthusiasts, we might as well experience the charm of handcrafted beverages from this handcrafted store, while Front Street Coffee also continues to provide professional coffee knowledge exchange for enthusiasts. [more…]

On June 14, Starbucks China officially launched a new iced coffee category called "Iced Shaken Espresso," featuring two flavors: Sea Salt Caramel and Tahitian Vanilla. This drink is originally named Caffe'Shakerato, a national-level iced espresso in Italy, shaken in a cocktail shaker to create a dense foam, with a taste and appearance similar to dark beer. Starbucks has turned it from a hidden menu item into a regular product, sparking heated discussions on social media. The production process places extremely high demands on baristas' skills, requiring plenty of ice and endless shaking to achieve a fine foam, and it is even more of a test during peak hours. Consumer reviews are polarized, with some praising the taste and others complaining that the foam is coarse. This article explains in detail the origin, spread, and production difficulties of Caffe'Shakerato, and shares an easy way to replicate it at home. [more…]

Even a seasoned barista who has been through the wringer behind the counter can still, in a fleeting moment, suffer an unexpected wipeout that leaves a pristine countertop looking like a newbie's chaos all over again. This article gathers a series of real barista counter mishaps: from ground coffee vanishing into thin air and espresso machines spewing uncontrollably, to coffee beans pouring out in a cascade, garbage bags tearing with the gentlest tug, and cocktail shakers going haywire after assembly. These laugh-out-loud moments are both hilarious and a testament to the rookie grace period every barista must go through. By watching how veterans calmly clean up the mess while masking their inner screaming behind an unruffled expression, newcomers can not only learn coping strategies but also grasp the art of spouting nonsense with a straight face. Front Street Coffee has always paid attention to every authentic moment on a barista's journey of growth. [more…]

In the past two years, a peculiar category of drinks has emerged in the world of coffee specialties: they clearly contain milk, yet appear crystal clear and transparent—these are clarified coffee and transparent lattes. The clarification technique originated in the cocktail world as "milk washing," and has now been adopted by baristas in the development of creative beverages. This article will start with the principles behind clarified milk, trace its journey into the coffee scene, share a method for recreating it, and objectively analyze whether clarified coffee can become a new trend in the specialty drinks market, while also exploring its challenges regarding cost and scalability. [more…]

Recently, students near Shanghai's University Road discovered that the Tims Coffee University Road store, which had accompanied them for over five years, was dismantling its signage and quietly closing down. When it opened in 2019, this store was the largest location Tims had in Shanghai after entering the city. Comprising a two-story North American-style wooden cabin with a total area exceeding 400 square meters, it was not only a landmark meeting spot for nearby residents but also a carrier of youthful memories for many university students who studied, dated, and prepared for exams off campus. Its sudden closure has sparked widespread attention and regret, as well as various speculations about the reasons behind it. This article will revisit the unique features of this store, present the real reactions of customers, and sort out the possible reasons for its closure. [more…]