I like beer. I looooooove coffee. And you don’t want to know what I’d do for cocktails…
When it comes to having a beer and coffee cocktail I can’t say I’ve ever been blown away. Mainly because they’ve all been so dark, usually using a stout or porter, accompanied with a similarly strong espresso. Don’t get me wrong I’ve tasted some quite tasty ones (and some pretty shit ones) but that style tends to be too heavy for me. They’re like the Guiness of coffee/ beer cocktails, you can’t drink too many of them at a time or you just end up either bloated or white girl wasted. Though I do enjoy being white girl wasted occasionally.
Ocassionally.
So when neighbours and long term friends Extract Coffee Roasters and Wiper & True decided to colab for a lockdown give away, and pit barista versus brewer in a competition to come up with some tasty coffee and beer cocktail recipes I saw it as an opportunity to try and come up with a drink that was, more than anything, easy to drink and refreshing.
Equipt with the blood orange giving Chania AA filter and the incredibly delicious Citrus Rooibos tea from Extract, Wiper + True also sent me their finest and brightest; the bright and refreshing Kaleidoscope pale ale, and the tropical and citrus sensation Sundance IPA. Combined with a drinks trolley that consists mainly of citrus based spirits and liqueurs, I feel like I hit the nail on the head with both.
The Amer Picon is present in both drinks. It’s a French liqueur that in a nutshell is the bitterness of Campari, but with a delicious and full bodied orange twist. Think vermouth but make it marmalade. I brought a bottle back with me from Avignon last year but you can get it in most good bottle shops. The rest of the spirits are fairly easily interchangeable with similar substitutes but I’ve listed exactly what I used just for the sake of it.
Give them a try, enjoy, and let me know what you think!
#harrisonthehand
Café Picon Bière
Think Terry’s Chocolate Orange on ice. Cold brew Extract Chania AA with the Picon gives the sweet orange body, then the Kaleidoscope lifts it to a refreshing little cooler that’s perfect over ice and drinkable for days. I brewed the Chania AA aeropress style then chilled it. If you’re not too sure on aeropress brewing have a butchers at the Extract blog here for a simple how to.
Ingredients:
35ml Amer Picon
50ml Extract Chania AA Cold Brew
100ml Wiper + True Kaleidoscope Pale Ale
Combine and chill the Picon and Cold Brew by stirring together with some ice. Strain into a short tumbler over ice, top up with Kaleidoscope, and add a twist of orange peel for some extra aromatics and wanky decoration. Easy peasy, orange squeezy.
Long Island IPA
Just as refreshing as a Long Island Iced Tea, but with a prominent citrus twist, and a nice creamy body given by the Sundance IPA, it’s a juicy clean long cocktail that won’t take you long to finish.
Ingredients:
15ml Amer Picon
15ml Cointreau
15ml Tanqueray Seville Orange Gin
15ml Whitley Neill Blood Orange Vodka
50ml Extract Citrus Rooibos Tea concentrate
125ml Wiper + True Sundance IPA
Combine and chill the spirits and tea concentrate (made by brewing 500ml hot water with four tea bags over 5 mins) by shaking in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a tall glass, then top with Sundance IPA and a wedge of orange.