Uses for good coffee liqueur?

[Penwu]

I got the chance to visit the Roundhouse distillery north of Denver recently, and came back with a bottle of their new Coretto coffee liqueur. It's fantastic stuff on its own, but I would like to take advantage of it in some mixed drinks. Can anyone recommend a good recipe that showcases coffee liqueur, something beyond the usual White/Black Russians?

[EvergreenDan]

Ice cream?

I'd like to know too, as I have a bottle of Starbuck Liqueur that I bought to make coffee/milk drinks for a friend. I since "moved her along" to something that isn't served in a happy meal cup with a straw. Searching on line doesn't reveal the kind of drink I like.

OK. For fun, how about a group cocktail recipe. I tried:

1 part Coffee Liqueur (Starbucks, very sweet, not the cream version)

1 part Ramazzotti

1 part Rum (Old Monk)

1 part white rum

1/4 part dry sherry vinegar

Not awful, but there must be a way to make this work. Finding a compatible acid is the problem. I also tried lemon and Fino Sherry, but neither one worked for me. Still I like the idea of coffee/Ramazzotti/Molasses, at least in theory.

[bostonapothecary]

Ice cream?

I'd like to know too, as I have a bottle of Starbuck Liqueur that I bought to make coffee/milk drinks for a friend. I since "moved her along" to something that isn't served in a happy meal cup with a straw. Searching on line doesn't reveal the kind of drink I like.

OK. For fun, how about a group cocktail recipe. I tried:

1 part Coffee Liqueur (Starbucks, very sweet, not the cream version)

1 part Ramazzotti

1 part Rum (Old Monk)

1 part white rum

1/4 part dry sherry vinegar

Not awful, but there must be a way to make this work. Finding a compatible acid is the problem. I also tried lemon and Fino Sherry, but neither one worked for me. Still I like the idea of coffee/Ramazzotti/Molasses, at least in theory.

dry vermouth is a great acid for coffee liqueur, but i'd bet you'd want more than 1/4 part. you could also trade the white rum for an eau de vie like kirschwasser and add an aromatic interval. if the ramazotti still seems too drastic, i'd try cynar.

[Alchemist]

1.5 oz Coffee liqueur

1.5 oz Aged Rum (I like something with a heavy vanilla note)

1 dash Orange Bitters

2.0 oz heavy cream

3 sugar cubes

Stir Rum and Liqueur togather. Shake cream with sugar cubes until soft peak, no longer. toss sugar cubes. Strain booze into a cocktail glass and float cream on top. I love coffee and orange together so I might express an orange peel on top. It could just guild the lilly.

Cheers,

Toby

[Blether]

I like the sound of coffee and orange. Don't the Italians load a bowl of iced expresso with orange and some kind of spirit as a group refresher ? I thought it was called granita, but have since read many non-alcoholic recipes for the same.

I think yoghurt's an option on the acid side. So dilute coffee liqueur with lassi (450ml plain yoghurt / 100ml water) - a "Dusky Lassie" - and serve over ice. Cardamom accent optional.

(Putting lassi behind your cocktail bar opens up a rich seam of tedious puns - mix with Glayva, Drambuie or whisky for a Highland Lassie, etc).

Edited February 12, 2010 by Blether (log)

[EvergreenDan]

Wow, tried again without success. Tried Coffee, Luxardo Ameretto, Amaro Meletti, Dolin Dry Vermouth. It was cloying yuck before the vermouth, and winy (whiny?) yuck after. Tried Coffee, Meletti, lemon bitters, lemon juice (thinking about espresso served with a twist). The sugar is in the way. Even after balancing with acid, you have a sweet/sour/coffee affair.

I think the upshot for me personally is that behind the lipstick, I still see pig lips.

[EvergreenDan]

I found a MxMO recipe that takes both ideas: Coffee, Ramazzotti, dark Rum, and add sweetened shaken/whipped cream. Dessert in a glass, I say. http://spiritmeaway.com/?p=1505

[FrogPrincesse]

Made Jon Santer's Revolver with my newish bottle of House Spirits coffee liqueur (they use coffee roasted by Stumptown in Portland). The creator describes this cocktail as a coffee Manhattan.

It's 2 oz rye-heavy bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace), 1/2 oz coffee liqueur, 1 dashes orange bitters, flamed orange zest.

[Rafa]

There's also the Nolita, a coffee Negroni. I like it with rye and tequila as well.

[Rafa]

A few more: The Tobacconist, with mezcals, allspice dram, PX sherry, and a million other things (tasty); The Cableknit, with Demerara rum and Calvados (one of my favorite combinations); A Walk in the Clouds, with Zacapa and Talisker (!); and Sam Ross's Sommer in the City, a shot of three parts Fernet to one part coffee liqueur. It's a tribute to this guy.

[FrogPrincesse]

There's also the Nolita, a coffee Negroni. I like it with rye and tequila as well.

Yep, that one is a San Diego cocktail creation, by Christian Siglin (cf. the Negroni thread) who now heads the bar at Banker's Hill for those who keep track of that kind of thing.

Edited October 23, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Rafa]

Yes, I believe I have you to thank for bringing that drink to my attention.

[FrogPrincesse]

Cool.

[FrogPrincesse]

Francis the Mule (Ted Haigh) which is very similar to the Revolver mentioned above, with the addition of orgeat and a touch of lemon juice. Bourbon, orgeat (walnut, homemade), lemon juice, strong coffee (House Spirits coffee liqueur), orange bitters (Regan & Fee). Lemon twist for that one.

 

Pretty good. The lemon juice balances out the sweetness of the orgeat. A bit reminiscent of Erick Castro's Attorney Privilege but less sweet.

 

 

 

 

[Hassouni]

The Turc Noir, a Green Zone/Hassouni Efendi original creation (and the only of my trade secrets I'll even semi-divulge ):

 

1 oz Turkish coffee liqueur (homemade)

2 oz Pisco

2 dashes cardamom tincture/bitters (homemade or Scrappy's)

 

build w rocks in an OF glass

 

 

PS: Princesse, I think you consistently have the best-looking garnishes on the Spirits & Cocktails forum!

Edited May 22, 2014 by Hassouni (log)