Who takes more than a week to make a cocktail garnish?! I do, but wait, wait, before you think I’m nuts let me explain…it’s a special occasion, right? And these cocktails are seriously memorable, incredibly delicious and a standard casual garnish just wouldn’t do. I had just gotten back from a wonderful trip to a 255 year old chocolatier in Paris, A La Mere de Famille, who also happens to glacé fruits beautifully. From them I’d gotten a recipe for glacéed orange peel that I thought would be the perfect flavor for a tasteful little drink clip - and the flavors were eye closingly divine together.
The cocktail is espresso & bourbon - a classy, original play on the red bull concoctions made in bars. An incredibly delicious perker-upper or end note, as one might choose. Its cold, small and has just the perfect amount of sweet creaminess along with the bold bourbon forefront. This recipe I’d gotten inadvertently from a dear friend who owns The Clean Plate Club, the top catering company in Nashville, where they know how to serve bourbon.
Bourbon & Beans
This recipe make a small pitcher, enough for 4-6 cocktails, we serve them in coupe champagne glasses but any small glass would work well.
Whisk up in a pitcher;
4 oz. bourbon
2 egg yolks (yes, not the whites)
4 oz. cold espresso
1 oz. cream
1 oz. agave syrup
pour over ice in a shaker, shake well, at least 20 times and then strain into glasses and garnish with a few drops of bitters & a sprinkle of cocoa if desired.
Glacéed Orange Clips
These are clearly optional, lol, but they do put the whole thing over the top I promise. BONUS: they are uber delicious candy too. These will hold very well in airtight container out of refrigeration.
2 oranges, washed & dried
2 cups water
3 cups sugar
Using a vegetable peeler take off 3″ long strips of zest and cut them in half. Boil a few inches of water & immerse the peels for 5 minutes to soften them a bit. Drain the strips.
For the syrup; bring to a boil over high heat the 2 cups water with 1.5 cups of sugar. Remove from heat & add the drained orange strips. cover & set aside on the counter.
The next day remove the strips with a slotted spoon, add ½ cup sugar & bring the syrup to a boil over high heat. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat add the strips back in & cover. Let it sit out again overnight. Repeat this two more times over two more days adding ½ cup sugar again each time, then allow fruit to steep for a week. Remove from the syrup, roll in sugar if desired & dry and firm up hung over a rack to form the clips.
Cheers!
Lynette La Mere, Pure Joy Catering Executive Chef
Photos by Willa Kveta
a sprinkle of cocoa and bitters & voila!, photo by Willa Kveta
Glaceed orange peel drink clips, photo by Willa Kveta
Glacéed Orange Clips hung on chop sticks to form cocktail clips