Bourbon and Coffee

Coffee – the magic beans that get me going in the morning. I love coffee. What smells nicer than opening a bag of freshly ground coffee beans and inhaling deeply?  No wonder it is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Coffee has been the magic bean getting people going for a long, long time. There is evidence of coffee drinking around the middle of the 15^th century in Yemen.

Small artisanal coffee roasters have sprung up everywhere, offering their special blend of the roasted magic bean. According to some research, there are more than 150 independent coffee roasters in South Africa. That is a lot of magic.

Just give me a nice hot double caffè macchiato in the morning. Serve it in my beautiful red Le Creuset Espresso cup with one of my Dutch silver spoons and my day starts perfectly.

My coffee machine has been in for maintenance for the last week, and getting up in the morning without my double shot of espresso has been difficult. But it is coming back today! Let’s make a Bourbon and Coffee to celebrate.

Hot coffee in winter is great. It warms me up while I relax and watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory on the Series Channel. But in summer, hot coffee is not ideal. How to get all the comfort without the heat?

I decided to play around with coffee and bourbon to see if I can find the perfect cold coffee with a kick. And after a bit of testing and re-testing, this was my favourite recipe – bourbon coffee.

Also Read: Mint Julep Recipe

Using a traditional Kentucky coffee idea where you add bourbon and cream to a hot coffee, I kept the coffee cold. It is summer in the Southern hemisphere after all. I added some cacao powder to enrich the coffee and bring out the sweeter notes in the whiskey. Hot or cold, bourbon and coffee is always a winning combination.

Bourbon and Coffee Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 ml brown sugar
• 15 ml hot water
• 2,5 ml cacao powder
• 60 ml bourbon (I used the Evan Williams bourbon)
• 90 ml strong coffee
• 50 ml heavy cream

Method

For Cold Coffee (Perfect for hot summers day)

• Put serving glasses in the freezer an hour before the time.
• Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.  Allow to cool.
• Brew the coffee and allow to cool down.
• Add the bourbon and the rest of the ingredients except the cream to a shaker with some ice and give it a good shake.
• Pour into the iced glass and top with heavy cream.
• Sprinkle the cacao powder over and enjoy.

For Hot Coffee (If you need something warmer to heat you up)

• Brew the coffee and dissolve the sugar directly in the coffee.
• Add the bourbon and stir.
• Top with the cream and sprinkle with the cacao powder.

Also Read: Slate blended bourbon