Irish Coffee (Drink # 10)

One week from today is St. Patrick's Day - my favorite holiday of the year.  No other celebration is as joyful, and let's be honest, St. Patrick's Day doesn't carry the baggage that comes with other holidays.

It is a unique combination of tradition (sort of), good drink (definitely), good music (save for Danny Boy), and good food (even if corned beef and cabbage is completely inauthentic).

I was in Ireland back in 2006, ripping through all of the south, from Shannon, to Galway, to Dublin, Kilkenny, the Ring of Kerry...on and on and on...in 8 days.  It was amazing.  I came away with a fond appreciation for the country and its culture.  And, it should go without saying, its drink.  (Cue obligatory photo of Irish landscape).

Ireland is probably best known for Guinness, and Irish whiskey. 

Guinness of course, is the brewery in Dublin that brews the stout beer of the same name.  It's excellent beer of course, few could disagree.  Word always is that it tastes better in Ireland than it does stateside, but I didn't find that to be case.  I think it's more likely that the Guinness in Ireland tastes about the same - but YOU'RE IN FREAKING IRELAND!, and that has to account for something.  Sentimentality makes everything taste better!

If you're a hard alcohol man, there's no more prominent Irish whiskey than Jameson, by far and away the best selling whiskey export Ireland has to offer.  Irish whiskey is different than other forms of whiskey in various ways - but rather than get into details (in this post anyway), it's safe to say that Irish whiskey is the lighter flavored, less peaty cousin of scotch whiskey.  One of my favorite whiskeys, Irish or otherwise is Tyrconnell, an Irish single malt that costs around $30-35 a bottle.  Great value, and a great whiskey. 

Today, I am fortunate enough to be drinking Irish Coffee, a drink supposedly first created in the 1940's after some American passengers had a particularly rough go on a "flying boat".  Yes sports fans, you read that correct: a flying boat!  Perhaps we account for their rough trip because they agreed to ride on a flying boat in the first place.

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 403

Irish Coffee
1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5 to 6 ounces strong hot coffee
Heavy cream or whipped cream

Pour the Irish whiskey into a warmed Irish coffee glass, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.  Pour in the hot coffee, and slowly add the cream to float on top; do not stir.

Or top with a dollop of whipped cream.


This is the first drink that I've had more than a handful of times before starting this blog.  It's no surprise that I think it's fantastic.

But, this recipe is surprising to me for a couple of reasons.

First, I've never added brown sugar before, and never thought to do so.  Second, I'm not used to such a small amount of coffee in my Irish coffee.  In my trusty 1984 USA Olympic mug, 6 ounces makes up just over half of the mug, and that seems like an incredibly small amount of coffee relative to what I normally drink.  I'm downing two or three of these mugs if given the chance.  Is 5 or 6 ounces considered a serving?!?

With the smaller amount of coffee, the Irish whiskey is noticeably stronger.  That's not a bad thing.  It is an overwhelmingly warming drink.  With each sip, the heat of the drink, coupled with the whiskey makes the stomach feel as though it is surrounded by a heat-wrap, turned up to 11.  It's great.  Funny though, that the cold weather has been demolished by the 73 degree day we had today!  I'll drink a warm drink in 73 degree weather after the winter we've had.

Even though this is a tried and true classic, using the recipe did change my perspective just a touch.  If I had survived a calamitous journey in a flying boat, I too would have upped the ratio of whiskey to coffee - perhaps as high as equal parts coffee to equal parts whiskey.  Though if someone offers me a ride in a flying boat, I'm running in the other direction.

Tomorrow, the Brandy Champagne Cocktail!

Toreador (Drink # 9)

Let's start by discussing tequila for a moment.  As I indicated yesterday, I've given tequila a couple of chances in the past as a stand alone drink, with mediocre results.

The first time I tried tequila as a stand alone drink was back in the summer before college.  My good buddy Jeremy and I were about to head off to our respective institutions of higher learning, but before doing so we decided to purchase a couple of cigars (legally) a bottle of tequila (not legally) and sit on the edge of his parents' driveway, taking in the last of the summer.

He bought a bottle of Patron Silver, and was told that it was for "sipping" and not for taking shots.  At the time, taking shots of tequila was all we knew.

Sipping tequila proved difficult.  I could tell even then that the quality of the Patron Silver was markedly better than whatever I had drank in the past.  Even so, I didn't yet have the taste for drinking 80 proof alcohol neat, and I wasn't familiar with the tenant that some spring water can be used to open up the alcohol.  So I drank the Patron Silver, trying each time to like it more than the last sip, but it was not to be.  The cigar was welcome refuge from the taste of the tequila.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago, my second attempt.

Having just read an Esquire magazine article about tequila, entitled Things We Think We Know About Tequila, and featuring an accompanying article listing good tequilas, I was convinced to give it another try. 

I bought a bottle of Cuervo Tradicional, a modestly priced selection that the article said tasted of "Figs and chocolate" and was a "great value" at $25.  I poured a glass, throwing in a couple of small ice cubes.  I didn't love it.  I gave it a serious college-try too.  It was as though the pool water was just warm enough to put my feet in the wading area, maybe even my ankle.  But I didn't get much further though, the water was just too cold, the tequila too, I don't know, tequila-y.  I stopped sipping about half-way through the drink.

Here we are again, another try at the agave king.

So on my way to the soccer game (we lost in a crushing 3-2 defeat), I stopped by a liquor store I've never seen or been to, but apparently has been in the same location since August of 2008.  Funny how that works - a store sits in same the place for years and you only notice it when you need it to appear (kind of Lost-ish, in a way).

This liquor store was fantastic too, and will be on the short list of places to buy alcohol in the future.  On this visit, I needed the silver tequila for the Toreador cocktail.  My friend Eric had mentioned that 1800 Tequila is pretty good stuff, so I went looking for a bottle of their standard issue silver tequila.

This is what they had:

Now, in fairness, it wasn't all that they had.  In fact, this cool looking bottle was the same price as the neighboring regular 1800 Tequila Silver bottles.  From the picture, you've no doubt gathered that I bought the funked out bottle.  Apparently, 1800 Tequila commissioned artists to create these limited edition bottlings.  Learn more about it here, if you're so inclined.

With the tequila and the crème de cacao, I was good to go.

One other quick side note worth mentioning...this recipe, as you'll see below, calls for white crème de cacao.  The difference between white and dark crème de cacao is the color of the syrup used to make the liqueur.  And, the word "crème" in a name indicates that there is no cream used in the production of the liqueur.  A bit counterintuitive at first thought due to the sound of the word, until you realize that the word "cream" itself is used when cream is included in the contents of the liqueur (now it all makes sense).

Let's drink!

Recipe
The Ultimate Bar Book, page 301
 
Toreador
1 1/2 ounce silver tequila
1/2 ounce white crème de cacao
Whipped Cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder

Shake the tequila and crème de cacao vigorously with ice.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Float a dollop of whipped cream on top, and sprinkle with cocoa powder.


Wow, this is an interesting drink!  There is no doubt that this is tequila based, but it is well-paired with the crème de cacao.  The crème de cacoa doesn't provide too much noticeable flavor, but with the sprinkle of cocoa on the top, the chocolate aroma comes through really nicely.

And it makes sense that tequila and chocolate flavors and aromas should go together.  Latin cuisine is filled with a litany of chocolate flavors mixed with spicy flavors we're not used to coupling together.  If you've at all traveled to Mexico, or some other country south of the American border, you've probably seen hot chocolates made with various spices, chillies, or even anise flavored liquors - a real change from the hot chocolates available at the nearest Starbucks or Lavazza location.

This drink is similar to those hot chocolates south of the border.  The whipped cream though, doesn't impart itself into the rest of the drink when it moves about the glass with each sip.  Tip the glass into your mouth, and the whipped cream floats to the other side, as if it is taunting you.  Sure, some of the whipped cream creeps away from the mainland of foam, but not often enough.

I'm a fan of this drink, but I struggle thinking of the occasion in which I would make it again.  Before a night out?  Probably not.  Random weeknight?  I suppose it's possible, but I'd rather make the Sidecar if given the choice. 

I think it's best chance is when making food that is related to its flavors, and likely its origin.  Fish tacos with chipotle mayo, or enchiladas with a spicy red sauce - something along those lines.

Has the drink changed my opinion of tequila entirely?  Not really.  But, I haven't given up on tequila just yet.  Consider this a push.