A Coffee In Manhattan (Original Recipe)

 

Another original recipe, here: this time I'm playing around with flavors that aren't often paired together to create yet another Manhattan variation. The theme I'm going with is breakfast--coffee enjoyed with half of a grapefruit. I love this combination of acidic flavors. They don't go together at all. Coffee is so dark and bitter and grapefruit juice is so tart but also a little bitter and sweet. Having them together is jarring, but not unpleasant. I recommend it.

But I really recommend this Manhattn variation because of its lifting grapefruit bitters that set it apart from other coffee Manhattans. Lifting bitters bring essences up to your nose and provide a palate lift that breaks up heavy tasting ingredients. This is opposed to binding bitters that help join disparate flavors like whiskey and vermouths. This cocktail still has whiskey and vermouth, but it the use of Fee Brothers grapefruit bitters puts a burst of acidity right in the middle of that bitter depth of MurLarkey Coffee whiskey and bittersweet vermouth that normally a Manhattan drinker looks forward to. It essentially causes you to wake up from the boring slumber of drinking the same kind of Manhattan, and it does this with the flavors I enjoy at breakfast. 

• 2 oz. MurLarkey Heritage whiskey
• 1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey
• 1/2 oz. Cocchi Dopo Teatro sweet vermouth
• 4 dashes Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters
• 1 Luxardo cherry garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry stuck on a cocktail pick. 

Dale Cooper (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This is the first of the Death & Co. stirred tequila cocktails I decided to dabble with this weekend. On the dessert side, this cocktail by bartender Jessica Gonzalez is a tribute to the Twin Peaks character of the same name. 

There's a lot going on here, from the cinnamon syrup and coffee infused sweet vermouth. The cocktail ties together the chocolate, cinnamon and coffee flavors associated with ancient and modern day Mexico. It is strong and on the large side--the recipe calls for a large Martini glass because a coup just won't handle it. 

I made a few modifications, as I always do, to save time and make up for ingredients I don't have on hand. The first is replacing the Green Chartreuse with Dolin Genepy, which is a fine move when considering how many powerful ingredients are contending for your attention in this drink. The other thing I did was instantly flavor my simple syrup with MurLarkey Cinnamon whiskey. I just added 1 tsp. cinnamon whiskey to my portion of simple I was using for this drink. I also flavored my portion of sweet vermouth with a tsp. of MurLarkey coffee whiskey. My thinking is that MurLarkey has already made these infusions so I don't have to, which is kind of the beauty of these whiskey flavors.

The result is a rich cocktail that combines your dessert Manhattan with cinnamon, coffee and chocolate flavors for a very round and satisfying nightcap.

• 2 oz. reposado tequila (El Jimador used)
• 1/2 oz. coffee-infused sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino with MurLarkey coffee used)
• 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse (Dolin Genepy used)
• 1 tsp cinnamon bark syrup (simple syrup and 1 tsp. MurLarkey cinnamon used)
• 1 dash Aztec chocolate bitters 

 Stir all ingredients over ice, then strain into a Martini glass. 

 

Bittersweet Adios (Original Recipe)

 

Coffee shiskey and agave syrup balance each other in this rocks sipper. There's a lot to love here in one of my secret weapon tequila drinks. A sweet amaro like Don Ciccio & Figili Ambrosia is key to the "all spirits tequila drink" with its honey and citrus peel notes. So is a round tequila like Corralejo, that drinks almost like a cognac or Irish whiskey. Not to be outdone, sweet vermouth and MurLarkey coffee whiskey seal the deal with bitterness. 

All of these bittersweet spirits get their edges shaved off with a touch of Madhava agave syrup. It all goes down like the sweetest medicine with herbal notes throughout, from the tequila and amaro to the sweet agave syrup. Make this one for yourself and see what I mean. Then make it for your friends and they will be so impressed. People who like a Negroni but hate tequila (there have to be a few) will love this one.

• 1 oz. Corralejo tequila 
• 1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey 
• 1/2 oz. Don Ciccio & Figli Ambrosia
• 1/2 oz. Madhava agave syrup

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. 

Rosita's Cafe (Original Recipe)

 

I liked the idea of a coffee Negroni, the way that bitterness of the coffee can accentuate the sweet and vanilla notes of sweet vermouth. Then I thought, "what about tequila?"

Corralejo is my favorite reposado. It is soft and round with caramal notes. I felt that orange bitterness for this cocktail, like the coffee and orange flavors in a Spanish Coffee, would be a great way to play up the caramel of the tequila. So I picked my homemade Amer Picon, but amari like Montenegro or Ramazzotti will work.

Coffee comes in the form of yet another spirit: MurLarkey coffee whiskey. This is coffee beans steeped directly into the whiskey while it rests in the barrel. There's no added sugar in the coffee whiskey, so it can be very bitter by itself, but using it instead of cold coffee keeps your cocktail stiff and prevents it from clouding up.

• 1 1/2 oz. Corralejo tequila
• 1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Amer Picon
• 12 oz. Cocchi di Torino

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Sitr and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Clockwork Orange #2 (Difford's Guide)

I'm on the lookout for more innovative akvavit recipes lately, and I've turned to Difford's Guide for help finding them. This coffee and orange rocks drink is strong on spirits and bitterness. It is the kind of thing that is really "in" right now, but you usually find bourbon in the bitter cocktails, not akvavit.

And that is where this cocktail jumps off from the traditional thinking. Akvavit is usually consumed chilled and chased with pilsner-style beer. There are few bartenders who know enough about akvavit to mix with it; Difford's guide with its thousands of recipes only displays seven akvavit cocktails. That is why this one is so special. 

I've made a few alterations, using local spirits and omitting chilled coffee to replace it with a shot of MurLarkey coffee whiskey. This whiskey has all the kick of cold brew coffee without the grounds, and without watering down your drink. The akvavit I'm using is my own infusion with MurLarkey Justice white whiskey and vodka. And I like the idea of subbing in a local aperitivo like Don Ciccio & Figili's Ambrosia for the better known Aperol.

I do not have chocolate bitters, and I can see what the chocolate would lend. Often chocolate bitters also contain cinnamon, the point being that your taste buds register the chocolate flavor as chocolate chip cookies or sweet baked goods. So my closest substitute is Hella orange bitters, which is less orange and more of a baking spice bitters anyway.

This stiff cocktail was worth the effort and deserves a quiet half-hour to sip and enjoy uninterrupted.

• 1 oz. akvavit (homemade used)
• 1 oz. Aperol or Italian aperitivo (Don Cicco & Figili Ambrosia used)
• 1 oz. chilled French Pressed coffee (1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• 1/4 oz. sugar syrup
• dash chocolate bitters (Hella orange bitters used)
• orange zest (flamed)
  

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice cubes (large format preferable). Flame the orange zest by squeezing it into a flame held over the glass and drop it in. 

Virginia Moss (Original Recipe)

Like the Spanish Moss cocktail, this drink combines coffee and mint spirits for a rich sipping cocktail on the rocks. It occurred to me that MurLarkey coco whiskey and coffee whiskey would taste especially good together with mint, and that creme de menthe would be all the sugar that the cocktail would need.

The visual effect is pretty. This is a very dark liquid with a greenish tint around the ice cubes that looks like moss growing on rocks. The taste was good too. Not too sweet or overly minty. The coffee and chocolate come through.

• 1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey
• 1 oz. MurLarkey coco whiskey
• 1 oz. green creme de menthe

Combine spirits in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain over large ice cubes in an Old Fashioned glass. 

Kahlua (Coffee Whiskey) Toreador

I've done the Kahlua Toreador before: egg white, coffee liqueur, brandy blended--done. But it's not really living up to the name of Toreador if there's no topping, no fluffy whipped cream.

This Toreador is rich, but not so much as those dessert cocktails that included blended half-and-half. The egg white adds the creaminess that you expect from a coffee dessert drink. The fun thing about this recipe is that chocolate chunks are perfect to pair with brandy and MurLarkey coffee whiskey.

• 2 oz. brandy (Asbach Uralt)
• 1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1/2 egg white
• whipped cream
• grated dark chocolate

Combine brandy, coffee whiskey, sugar syrup, and egg white in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. 

Santa's Helper

Forget Eggnog! Santa needs his coffee. This is a free-form cocktail I went with when trying to make a richly spiced and creamy coffee drink for the holidays.

It's not everyday you can get a hot cocktail with both cinnamon and coffee flavors to play well together. MurLarkey Distillery's flavored whiskeys are not sugared down or made with artificial flavors. There's just coffee and cinnamon soaking in whiskey. The flavor is intense, so you have to add sugar to taste and measure carefully, because a little goes a long way.

But that's a good thing when it comes to home bartending. I love it when a dash does as much work as an ounce. That's the case with Santa's Helper. The small amount of cinnamon whiskey is plenty to give your coffee spice. And when you are adding whiskey to coffee, you might as well use coffee whiskey with real, intense cold brew coffee. It blends so well together, you'll feel like you had it made by a barista at a fancy coffee shop.

• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey
• 1/2 oz. cinnamon whiskey
• 2 tsp. sugar syrup
• 4 oz. hot black coffee
• whipped cream
• ground cinnamon

Combine coffee and cinnamon whiskey and sugar syrup in a small sauce pan and warm on low heat. Add it to a warmed coffee mug and top with hot coffee. Top with whipped cream and dust with ground cinnamon. 

Coffee Eggnog

This is my final Eggnog post of the New York Bartender's Guide. It may be my final Eggnog post of the year. That has yet to be seen. As it stands I've done all of the other Eggnog drinks on the list, and I have to say that I think this is better than most, particularly the ones that use brandy, sherry, or cider. I guess I'm just partial to coffee. And there is something to that feeling that you are getting your coffee with your liquor in this holiday drink. That and the fact that this cocktail is blended for extra fluffiness, and you have your cold Coffee Eggnog Latte right here.

The original recipe calls for instant coffee. That seems a little basic nowadays, but I can see the logic. A coffee liqueur back in the 90s didn't have the real coffee taste of cold brew coffee. It would be mostly rum and sugar, so adding instant coffee would just accentuate the real coffee flavor. But you are blending this drink, so there's no harm in using a pinch of real coffee. Better still, substitute MurLarkey Coffee Whiskey for the coffee liqueur, and you will have an all-whiskey Eggnog that tastes more like real coffee. Nothing else needs to change in this recipe except that you can add more sugar syrup to taste.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey (MurLarkey Heritage used)
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey Coffee Whiskey used)
• 6 oz. milk
• 1 oz. half-and-half
• 1 tsp. sugar syurp
• 1/2 tsp. instant coffee (or fine ground coffee as I did)
• 1 egg
• ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients except nutmeg in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. 

Toasted Almond

Coffee liqueur is supposed to add a toasty flavor to amaretto in this dessert drink with a kick. And it does this very well. Even though amaretto tastes more like cookies than almonds, there is more of a nutty note in this drink due to the roast of coffee in the liqueur.

The only coffee liqueur I keep on my home bar is MurLarkey coffee whiskey, which I sweeten with a teaspoon of sugar syrup to get it closer to a dessert ingredient that will work in a creamy drink.

• 2 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey and 1 tsp. sugar syrup used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Amaretto (Lazzaroni used)
• 2 oz. half and half

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. 

Mocha Mint

I was afraid that this cocktail would be too much like a dessert. It was far from that, though. A combination of liqueurs that add coffee, chocolate and mint in equal measure, what's not to like about the Mocha Mint?

Even better, since there's plenty of sugar in the cremes, I could use MurLarkey coffee whiskey without having to add more sugar to balance it. If anything the coffee whiskey was the balance.

• 1 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• 1 1/2 oz. white creme de menthe
• 1 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Kahlua Toreador

The original Toreador is a blended dessert drink made with tequila. It's pretty amazing in itself if you go all out with whipped cream and cinnamon.

This Toreador is more of an excuse to make a coffee flavored cocktail that's strong and slightly sweet. Not quite a dessert drink. Gone is the cream, whipped or otherwise, and in the place of Tequila, there's Kahlua. Holding it all together is a half of an egg white.

In place of Kahlua, I used a combination of MurLarkey coffee whiskey and sugar syrup to sweeten this liquor to the level of Kaluah. Copper and Kings brandy was also a good choice for this cocktail for its strength. You can't make a Toreador without something stronger than coffee liqueur at it center.

• 2 oz. brandy (Copper and Kings used)
• 1 oz. Kahlua (1 oz. MurLarkey Coffee Whiskey and 1/2 tsp. sugar used)
• 1/2 egg white

Combine all ingredients in a blender with cracked ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Coffee Grasshopper

This is a final instillation of the Grasshopper series of cocktails that use creme de menthe and cocoa flavors in cream to make a creamy dessert drink. This time I'm using white creme de menthe to blend mint flavor into the mix without turning the whole thing a mucky green color that green creme de menthe would create when mixed with coffee liqueur.

Here again is MurLarkey coffee whiskey, a good stand in when the sweetness of creme de menthe is enough to balance. And again the rich roasted taste of real coffee infused into the whiskey makes for an interesting twist to this old cocktail. This recipe makes the original drink even stronger.

• 1 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• 1 oz. white creme de menthe
• 1 oz. half-and-half

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. 

Coco Chanel

This cocktail is named after the famous fashion designer. I have trouble believing that Coco Chanel would drink such a rich cocktail, however. The recipe is simple, almost too easy, with almost three ingredients. I changed it up, however because I chose MurLarkey coffee whiskey instead of Kaluah. Since the coffee infused whiskey has no sugar, I added a tsp. of black tea and demerara sugar simple syrup that I had left over from making Swedish Punsch.

Since I've not posted the Punsch recipe, I'll give a description of my syrup: Make a cup of hot black tea and dissolve a half cup of demerera sugar into it. Allow it to cool and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• 1 1/2 oz. half-and-half 
• 1 tsp. black tea demerara suger syrup (optional)

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Fuzzy Martini

Not a real Martini (with dry vermouth). Just sayin'! But that aside, this is a pretty good cocktail in much the same spirit of the Martini. The recipe calls for three kinds of flavored vodkas: vanilla, peach and coffee. I am not someone who keeps flavored vodkas around; I flavor them myself, which I did in the case of the vanilla vodka. I happened to have two whiskies that are flavored, however. This changed the character of the original 90's era cocktail to something a little more pioneer-style with young whiskey notes on top of rich vanilla vodka. This cocktail had all the hallmarks of a craft drink, not some fake Martini.

• 3 oz. vanilla flavored vodka (homemade infusion used)
• 1/2 oz. coffee flavored vodka (MurLarkey Coffee Whiskey used)
• 1 tsp. peach schnapps (1/2 oz. Bird Dog Peach Whiskey used)
• peach slice

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the peach slice.

Mudslide

This pretty cocktail is a favorite of mine from the 1980s. There's been plenty of versions of this drink, but it is pretty much a Bailey's cocktail with vodka and coffee liqueur. The recipe I used doesn't include chocolate syrup, but I feel like it is a nice touch. Chill the glass first, then add the syrup in fun patterns like the floral one above or swirls. Be imaginative.

I used two MurLarkey products for this drink in addition to Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur. First I needed vodka, and Divine Clarity fits the bill. Coffee liqueur is also necessary, but since Bailey's adds plenty of sweetness in itself. You don't need a sweet coffee liqueur, though. So MurLarkey Coffee Whiskey is perfect and keeps the cocktail strong when a sweet coffee liqueur would make for a weaker cocktail. So go strong with this recipe.

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (Divine Clarity used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey Coffee Whiskey used)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass (with an optional chocolate syrup garnish.) 

Black Magic

This drink, basically a Black Russian, can go two ways. It can be sweet and juicy or dry and bitter. I went for the latter as a contrast to the Black Russian. You can't do this if you use Kahlua or your sugary coffee liqueurs, though.

MurLarkey distillery gave me a bottle of coffee whiskey to use and I felt that this dry spirit was needed here. This whiskey is basically cold brew coffee infused white whiskey. So now the drink comes across as a cup of cold espresso with a touch of lemon. Add sugar to taste, just like espresso, but you won't miss Kahlua if you are a real coffee and vodka drinker. Here's to having both at once.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• sugar to taste
• 1-2 dashes lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice.

Anatole Coffee

You can't go wrong with this list of ingredients used with iced coffee and prepared perfectly. This coffee drink is mild on alcohol and strong on caffeine, so enjoy it in the afternoon as a nice treat.

I did a few things that made Anatole Coffee especially nice. One was I used MurLarkey coffee whiskey, which is dry with no sugar. There's enough sugar in there anyway, but the coffee whiskey has a lot of real cold brew coffee flavor. Then I used coffee chocolate shavings that give off a great mocha scent and flavor in the whipped cream.

• 6 oz. cold coffee
• 1/2 oz. Frangelico
• 1/2 oz. cognac
• 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• whipped cream
• chocolate shavings

Combine liquid ingredients in a blender with cracked ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled wine glass. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle chocolate shavings on the whipped cream. 

Ten-Gallon Cocktail

Break out your big hats, 'cause we're off to the rodeo with the Ten-Gallon Cocktail. This is one among many cow and cowboy cocktails that involve coffee liqueur. But I'm not convinced that the Ten-Gallon is a dessert drink just because there's egg white.

If you have your own infusion of coffee and spirits, this is the time to use it. Kahlua is too sweet and you need bold coffee flavor here.

MurLarkey coffee whiskey is a cold brew of coffee and white whiskey. There's no added sugar so you can control for that. Use MurLarkey coffee whiskey with at most a half teaspoon of sugar. The sweet vermouth takes care of the rest. And again, Imagination gin is here because too much juniper would make this drink British. It's not. So drink American gin.

• 2 oz. gin (Imagination gin used)
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur (MurLarkey coffee whiskey used)
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi de Torino used)
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp. sugar optional

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. (Alternatively try shaking with crushed ice.) Blend and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass.