Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 9 – Caffeine Hit Cocktail. Rumour has it: this cocktail is how Santa manages to hit every house before Christmas morning. A potent combination of high-octane cold brew concentrate, rum, and two different amari will keep your sleighbells ringing all night long.
I’ll be shocked if I manage to coerce my partner Michael into drinking this cocktail. The man does not drink coffee. He just rolls out of bed and starts his day – without the aid of any caffeine. I’m not sure if it’s his youth (at the tender age of 31) or his balanced nervous system but he is effortlessly high on life.
In spite of the fact that he doesn’t drink coffee, he makes me one every day. We have a basic espresso machine that I barely know how to operate. If Michael’s not home, the best I can muster is an Americano. But when he’s around, I’m offered an entire menu of coffee shop delights like eggnog lattes, cappuccinos, and more.
I’ll even catch him lusting after high-end, bespoke espresso machines on Instagram. While I don’t think we’ll be acquiring an $8,000 espresso machine any time soon, I do adore how seriously he takes his role as barista.
I wish I could say I take my role as bartender as seriously. I rarely make cocktails when it’s just the two of us at home. I’ve taught Michael how to mix the perfect Negroni and that’s our usual go-to when we’re craving a spirited sip. Of course, I still love shaking and stirring when we’re entertaining but when you make drinks as part of your job, you rarely want to pick up the barspoon after hours. Sort of like how the cobbler’s children have no shoes.
All that being said, this Caffeine Hit Cocktail is a spirit-forward stir-down that I might have to get Michael to master as an alternative to our go-to Negroni nightcap – if he’s prepared to look past the cold brew concentrate component.
Amaro Montenegro is a great gateway amaro if you’re new to herbal Italian liqueurs. It has a lower ABV than most, at 23%. As it hits your palate, it has a surprising sweetness with notes of cherry, orange, and rose. Then you’ll discover the bold baking spice flavours of cinnamon and clove. At the finish, the subtle bitter notes of citrus and wormwood reveal themselves.
Fernet-Branca, on the other hand, is the final boss of amari. It has a bracing medicinal quality reminiscent of over-steeped tea, with a peppermint finish. It has a cultlike following amongst bartenders but it can do more than put hair on your chest, when used in the right way. The combination of these amari with the sweetness of aged Guyanese rum and the bold flavour of cold brew concentration results in pure boozy magic.
Be sure to tune into my Instagram Stories tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern for a step-by-step cocktail tutorial on how to make this spirit-forward delight.
Cheers, friends!
Rumour has it: this cocktail is how Santamanages to hit every house before Christmas morning. A potent combination ofhigh-octane cold brew concentrate, rum, and two different amari will keep your sleighbells ringing all night long.
how do you make the cold brew concentrate?
It’s a product you can buy at the grocery store in the coffee aisle! I used Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrate which I got at my local grocery store.