Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 18 – Coffee Flip. Fun fact: I don’t own a coffee maker, not any kind of coffee maker, no drip, no French press, no Chemex, no Nespresso. I had to go to a coffee shop to get a cup of coffee to chill for use in this drink.
I do drink coffee but only at work or at brunch if I don’t stop en route for a dirty chai latte (a chai latte with a shot of espresso in it).
I have been meaning to invest in a Le Creuset French press, it seems like the most economical choice in terms of real estate. As discussed, I live in a condo and space is at a premium. I don’t like to clutter my countertops and eat away at valuable workspace with needless small appliances, so I ain’t got no time for a coffee machine.
Having the capacity to make coffee does seem like a bit of an essential for anyone who entertains as much as I do, maybe I’ll get lucky and someone will buy me a French press for Christmas, like this one, for instance, in Licorice.
Second fun fact: a “flip” is a class of mixed drinks that has a rather interesting history. When it was first created in 1695, it was a mixture of beer, rum and sugar that was heated with a red-hot iron. The iron would cause the drink to froth or “flip” hence the name. Over the years, the beer was eliminated, the sugar increased, eggs were added to create the beautiful froth instead of the hot iron and the drink ceased to be served hot.
Don’t be afraid of the whole egg used here, it adds a divine fattiness that makes this cocktail silky and luxurious. The vanilla syrup used herein is just delicious and adds a perfect counterpoint to the herbal bitterness of the amaro (the Averna).
A flip can be made with any number of spirits, from the classic rum, to whisky, brandy, sherry, port or gin. I tried this drink in two versions, both with gin as the base spirit and with rum. The gin boosted the herbal element in the amaro whereas the rum complimented the coffee and nutmeg component.
I encourage you to pick your poison, so to speak. Personally, I preferred the version with rum and have listed the recipe as such below but try out different versions to see how you feel about each.
Cheers!
Coffee Flip
- ½ oz Averna
- ½ oz Vanilla Simple Syrup recipe follows
- 1½ oz Appleton Estate rum
- 1 whole raw egg
- 1½ oz chilled coffee
- Ice
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup sugar
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In a cocktail shaker, combine amaro, Vanilla Simple Syrup, rum and egg. Shake vigorously. Add coffee and ice and shake again. Strain into a wine goblet. Grate a little nutmeg on top as a garnish.
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Use the point of a knife to cut along the length of a vanilla bean. Scrape the seeds out of the bean. Add vanilla bean and seeds to 1 cup (250 mL) water in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until water is infused with vanilla and reduced to about ½ cup (125 mL). Add ½ cup (125 mL) sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat, transfer to a glass container and refrigerate until needed. Will keep for about 2 weeks.
Recipe adapted from: Chatto, James and Ryan Desjardins. "Coffee Flip." Food & Drink. Winter 2013.
