Winter blues got you down? Why not warm up with a coffee cocktail? We suggest one of Sam Schroeder's Coffee in Good Spirits concoctions—because nothing beats the winter chill like the thrill of mastering a competition-worthy cocktail, right?
Meet the Coffee Sherry: a beautifully balanced and stunningly delicious coffee cocktail. Sam served this little number up at the Coffee in Good Spirits Championships. And he recently teamed up with Reyna (who, in 2024, is embarking upon her own Coffee in Good Spirits journey) to whip up a non-alcoholic version to serve at our Columbia City cafe. For a competition-crushing cocktail, it's remarkably simple—your greatest challenge will be taking a little time in advance to make a lime oleo-saccharum syrup. But if you can plan a day ahead, you'll be richly rewarded.
For this cocktail, we recommend natural-process coffees for the sun-dried fruity sweetness they lend to the drink. Right now, we're really loving our Homasho Natural from Ethiopia and our Jose Landaverde Gesha Natural from El Salvador. What's great about making these things at home, though, is that you can try whatever you like! Let us know what coffee you chose and how it turned out.
So—ready for a treat? Here's how you can make the Coffee Sherry for yourself at home.
The Coffee Sherry
Serves two.
For the Lime Oleo Syrup:
50g lime peel
50g sugar
Muddle peels and sugar together vigorously, then let steep for 24 hours. Strain, and weigh the final weight (we got 35g).
Make a rich syrup (2:1 ratio of sugar to water) and combine at a 1:10 ratio with lime oleo concentrate (eg. we got 35g of lime oleo concentrate, so add 350g of rich syrup for proper dilution).
For the spirit base:
20mls Appleton 15 year rum
20mls Lustau Oloroso Sherry
20mls Lime Oleo Syrup
10mls Pedro Ximinez Sherry
200mls of natural-processed coffee
— We recommend 22g of finely-ground coffee brewed at a 1:12 ratio (264g water at 205F). We steeped ours in a Clever brewer for 2 minutes, then drained. You can also use your pour over or other brewing method of choice.
Combine all the ingredients for the spirit base and set aside.
For the cream layer:
120mls of heavy cream
— Buy the heaviest cream you can find (40% is ideal) to get the silkiest, softest foam.
2 dashes of Pernod Absinthe
15mls of Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
Amaro Amorino, to finish
Luxardo cherry, to garnish
Shake to whip, using a spring inside your cocktail shaker to aerate. Float over the top of the spirit base, then serve with a spray of Amaro Amorino and a Luxardo cherry. Cheers!
