今年夏天我的伴侣发现的奇迹n espresso martini. Some might say he’stwo summers too late(it’s me, I might say that). Others could argue bartenders have had time to perfect their versions and up the ante on them following theNew York Times2021 declaration. And still others (me, again) might say that you should drink whatever you want—but also that you can keep your espresso martini because the only coffee cocktail I want this summer is an iced Irish coffee.
James Beard, thatfather of American gastronomy, surely knew the joys oficed coffeeas much as anyqueer java lover. Add a dash ofwhiskeyand what better way is there to start a morning (or keep an evening going)? But while his recipe forChilled Irish Coffeehas plenty of merits, there are some modern conveniences that make it even better.
For one, Beard calls forfreshly brewed coffee, which he mixes with sugar and chills. But using a traditional hot method for brewing coffee only to put it in the fridge isn’t the best way to maintain the drink’s flavor. Letting coffee linger at warm temperatures can make it taste stale and ashen. For home cooks who already have a go-to cold coffee situation in place (whetherhomemadeor store-bought), there’s a better way: Reach for thesimple syrup.
You won’t land on Beard’s original ratios, exactly, but that’s okay: Who do you know that takes their coffee the same as somebody else? When I first made this recipe, I followed Beard’s lead and the result was a little dry for my taste. Though I usually take my morning coffee sugar-free, I ended up adding a dash more sweetener to this boozier, richer cup. Freeing yourself from strict adherence to the recipe allows you to make this drink with thecold-brew concentrateyou already keep on hand, or to stick to theflash-brewingorshaking-on-icemethod you’ve got down to a science.
For8 oz. of coffee(either diluted cold brew concentrate or ready-to-drink chilled coffee), I like½ oz. of 1:1 simple syrup(demerara if you have it). Otherwise, the measurements stay the same (2 oz. Irish whiskeyplus2 oz. heavy cream).
It’s a perfectbrunch drinkfor summer: getting both your caffeine and cocktail in one leaves plenty of room on the table for an extra dish offruit saladorbreakfast casserole. And because it’s a pour-and-stir drink (unlike the shakenespresso martini), dolloped both up top and on the bottom with a spoonful ofwhipped cream, it’s easy to scale up if you want to have people over. Come to think of it, it’s also pretty easy to make and drink a pitcher just for two. Is it Saturday yet?
