Petaluma’s Griffo Distillery collaborated with Marin-based Equator Coffees & Teas to create a dynamite Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur that tastes like a rocket-fueled cup of coffee without any of the cloying sweetness often found in coffee-based liqueurs. Delicious on its own, I decided to feature it in my twist on a frozen Irish coffee cocktail.
I combined the Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur with Griffo’s Stout Barreled Whiskey for additional coffee notes, along with chocolate, toasted oak and a nutty sweetness that gives this drink layers of flavor.
Fernet Branca lends its notes of mint, ginger, anise and other earthy flavors to the concoction.
Monarch Bitters Chocolate Bitters add a rich mole and cinnamon touch that I found brought these ingredients together and ready to be brightened up by Straus Family Creamery’s Lemon Gingersnap Ice Cream. The ice cream’s ginger notes further the wintery theme, and the citrus element elevates this smooth and creamy cocktail to something unique and unexpected.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces Griffo Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
- ¾ ounce Griffo Stout Barreled Whiskey
- ½ ounce Fernet Branca
- 3 drops Monarch Bitters Chocolate Bitters
- 2 small scoops of Straus Family Creamery
- Lemon Gingersnap Ice Cream (Straus Family Creamery Caramel Toffee ice cream is also delicious in this cocktail, if you prefer)
- ½ cup ice
- Spiced Coffee Dust (see recipe here), for garnish
- 1 tablespoon roasted coffee beans
- 1 star anise
- 1 whole allspice
Preparation
Place all of the ingredients except the Spiced Coffee Dust into a blender.
Blend until smooth. Add additional ice, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Pour into a favorite tall glass or holiday mug.
Sprinkle with Spiced Coffee Dust.
SPICED COFFEE DUST
Place all ingredients into a spice or coffee grinder and process until finely ground. You may also grind by hand using a mortar and pestle.
CHEERS!
