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There’s more to coffee cocktails than the Espresso Martini…
To put it to the test, Sandows the cold brew coffee specialists challenged five of London’s top bartenders to come up with some alternative creations…
Matt Whiley of Peg + Patriot in Bethnal Green made a “Bulletproof Caffè Corretto.” Traditionally caffè corretto is made by adding grappa to espresso. But Matt’s twist applies the ‘bulletproof’ approach to the Italian staple with a butter syrup made in his drinks lab. Shaken up with cold brew and served in a frosty glass, it was delicious, buttery and sharp.
Next, we tried a mezcal and cold brew number by Ophélie Delvecchio at Rita’s in Hackney. Rita’s has some of the best mezcal you’ll find outside of Mexico. Ophélie wanted the cold brew and mezcal flavours to work together in a smokey, chocolatey cocktail.
Shaken with ice, then dry shaken (without ice), the cocktail was a mixture of mezcal, cold brew, chocolate flavoured agave syrup, cherry liqueur and egg white. The shaken egg white gave it a foamy top, which leaves you with a boozy milk moustache as you drink it.
We asked James Stevenson at Shotgun in Soho to make a drink that people could try out at home. You’ll need a cocktail shaker but here’s your chance to put it to good use! James’ “Cold Brew Irish Coffee” used cold brew for the coffee base, stirred together with rye whiskey, and a little sugar syrup.
It wouldn’t be an Irish Coffee without floated cream. James found that adding a little sugar syrup to the double cream before shaking made sure it floated nicely.
Marcis Dzelzainis at Sager + Wilde Restaurant in Bethnal Green made us a Coffee Bakewell, proving that coffee cocktails don’t have to be brown!
Coming out an vivid purple colour, it tasted almost unbelievably like you’d imagine it would taste to tuck into a Bakewell tart and wash it down with a cold brew. Shaken and served in a tall glass on ice, with an umbrella to up the kitsch factor, the Coffee Bakewell was made with sake, cold brew, almond syrup, cherry juice and a dash of Campari.
Over at White Lyan in Hoxton where ice and citrus are normally off limits, Robin Honhold bent the rules to make a zesty cold brew punch, showing that cold brew can add depth rather than just coffee flavour.
Robin’s “Bourbon + Cold Brew Punch” was made with a blood orange juice, pineapple and raspberry syrup, cold brew, bourbon and soda and served on ice. To make the fruit syrup, Robin peeled blood oranges and cut pineapple and boiled them down with raspberries and sugar, which took no more than about ten minutes.
