A Caffeinated & Spiced Manhattan
December’s Cocktail of the Month
The Cocktail - Fremont
First things first: this is a Manhattan variation, not an Espresso Martini. So, it’s named after an urban neighborhood. Fremont Seattle is an excellent place everyone should visit full of coffee shops, breweries, and - increasingly - distilleries.
This time of year, I often have some extra coffee in the pot that I didn’t finish in the morning. This presents an excellent excuse to add a bit of punch to an evening cocktail without going crazy and making a fresh espresso. So, this cocktail is a Manhattan riff that assumes you have some leftover coffee and want something a bit more spicy and less herbaceous than the standard drink. The vermouth is replaced with a combination of different ingredients, and the ratio is adjusted to be closer to a 1-to-1 with the spirit and the mix.
The finished cocktail is sweeter than what I usually make, but still balanced. The full profile will depend on the coffee you use and the spices in your syrup, but overall it should taste something like a (true, from-scratch) pumpkin spice latte that ran into some whiskey.
What You Have - Bourbon, Luxardo Bitter Bianco, Saline Solution, and Coffee
As promised, you’ll use both what you bought and made last month again! The Bitter Bianco adds some citrus and bite to the drink, and the saline helps bring out every flavor in the drink (especially the coffee - I’m not one that salts my coffee, but the people that do are certainly on to something…).
It really doesn’t matter what coffee you use here, but it should be a traditional batch brewing method, not espresso. I tend to use medium-roast Central American beans, and that’s what I was using developing this drink.
Similarly, any bourbon should work here. Though, since the drink tends towards sweetness, I wouldn’t recommend using something wheated. A simple rye would work well here, too.
What to Buy - Benedictine
You’ll find Benedictine at (probably) any liquor store along with all of the other liqueurs like Grand Marnier - this bottle looks quite similar to that one with the red wax stamp in the center. That must be a French thing that I’m sure I’ll write about someday.
Benedictine is kind of like Dr. Pepper - the brand is obsessed with how many diverse flavorings they use (27 in this case), but they won’t tell you what they are. And similarly, while the brand mythos would have you believe that this was made by the people bearing the name (a monetary, in this case), that’s always just been marketing by an enterprising merchant.
But even though the recipe is a secret, the gist is that this liqueur is an interesting mix of herb and spice that I don’t find in many bottles. That spicy aspect is what this cocktail relies on, and I believe it comes primarily from clove and nutmeg in the distillate. And since those are the spices that (along with cinnamon) tend to make “pumpkin spice” Benedictine always tastes fall-y to me.
What to Make - Spiced Syrup
The goal of the syrup in this drink is to keep a similar spice profile to the Benedictine but amp up the sugar content without amplifying the herb character of the liqueur (since there’s already a good amount of that coming from the Bitter Bianco as well).
While I usually make and recommend heavy syrups, when you’re trying to infuse flavor more liquid is better. So, here I recommend a standard 1-to-1 syrup using a raw sugar. Measure out the same amount of sugar and water and turn on the heat to medium and you’re off to the races.
To spice it, just add spices! For me, that’s full star anise pods, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. I also grated some nutmeg and sliced some ginger and added those in. Just make sure you stir frequently to make sure nothing burns to the bottom of your pan, and once all of the sugar is dissolved kill the heat. Strain it into something and you’re ready to roll! About 10 minutes start-to-finish, and well worth the effort.
This little pan and these squeeze bottles have also helped improve my syrup-making experience dramatically - I highly recommend them for this and many other kitchen use cases.
The Recipe
This recipe is still quite simple, but the preparation is a bit more involved. With very few exceptions, all of my cocktails with a “fresh” acid component are shaken to get some foam/crema on the drink and round out the mouthfeel. In this case, you get that when you shake the coffee and the result can look beautiful.
1.5 oz Bourbon
0.5 oz Bitter Bianco
0.25 oz Benedictine
0.25 oz Spiced Syrup
0.5 oz Coffee
~5 drops Saline Solution
All you do is add the above ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake like crazy for at least 30 seconds. Then, strain the drink into a chilled coupe glass (or these, I love these) and enjoy!