With the snowflakes flying and the holidays upon us, those winter evenings with friends call for some warming winter cheer. We love the classic standard of coffee and Baileys Irish Cream to beat the chill, but it is always nice to have another option to share with our friends. We recently had friends over for dinner, and with one of our friends being a big whiskey and bourbon fan, we decided to try a different take on the classic spiked coffee and make a bourbon coffee. While Irish coffee is a popular and delicious hot cocktail, bourbon coffee is less common but no less delicious once you find the right mix, as the caramel sweetness and hints of vanilla and spice in the bourbon can pair up well with coffee.
We started out by making a bit of amaretto spiked flavored whipped cream. You could use a bit of bourbon instead but we liked how the sweet nuttiness of the amaretto added another layer of flavor to the drink. Start by pouring in a cup of chilled heavy whipping cream and a teaspoon of granulated sugar into a chilled bowl. Using a mixer, whip the cream and sugar until you get smooth peaks. Add in about 1/4th teaspoon of amaretto and continue to mix the whip cream until fully incorporated. Adding the alcohol will cause the whipped cream to lose some of the smooth whipped cream appearance and become a bit more textured and not nearly as smooth. Once the whipped cream and coffee are ready, it is time to assemble the cocktail.
We chose a nice medium roast coffee that had a rich full flavor that could stand up and complement the bourbon as the base for our cocktail. Normally we like to brew our coffee strong, so choosing a medium roast coffee was important as it still retained some of the rich caramel notes of the coffee without picking up the bitterness that a full dark roast might impart.
For this cocktail we chose to use Bulliet Bourbon. Bulliet is a good bourbon that has a nice bold flavor with hints of orange and spice with just enough sweetness to pull out the caramel of the coffee.
Start by preheating the mug with some hot water (you can use hot tap water). Preheating the cup helps warm the bourbon, releasing a nice aroma the helps bring out the flavors in the bourbon. Pour in 1.5 oz bourbon into the warmed mug and then pour the hot coffee on top filling the mug about 3/4th of the way up. Stir in about ½ teaspoon of sugar and then top with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the whipped cream. Finish with some orange zest and serve immediately.
Bourbon Coffee
- 5oz Bourbon
- 4-6 oz of fresh brewed coffee
- .5 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 dollop of amaretto whipped cream
- Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
- Orange zest.
Amaretto Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp amaretto