When Summer starts its skulk, I get bored with watery whiskey sours pretty quickly. Break out the foragers’ knife-and-basket and find unlikely fixings to spice up the cocktail game. Not everyone keeps bees and makes cold brew at home, so we welcome you to visit Verve and snag a cold brew with honey simple syrup – save yourself a few stings and spills. I’m calling this the Tin Toddy.
I’m a coffee professional by trade, so this recipe is motivated by more enthusiasm than expertise, but if coffee and whiskey are in your food pyramid, you’ll dig this pick-me-up. The recipe is simple, inspired by plum blossoms, oat honey, and my newfound love: American Whiskey (see Colin Spoelman and David Haskell’s enlightening craft spirits primer, Guide to Urban Moonshining: How to Make and Drink Whiskey).
Verve’s creamy, full-bodied Streetlevel Coldbrew plays nicely with Colorado’s Tin Cup Whiskey, a crisp, young, rye-heavy spirit. I made a 1:2 batch of Toddy cold brew at home, but Verve’s cold brew is infused with nitrous, which lends even more body. I’m dishing it up in a traditional 9 ounce rocks glass.
Ingredients:
- 4oz / StreetLevel Cold Brewed Coffee
- 1 Jigger / Tin Cup Whiskey
- 1 Jigger / Bittermilk Elderflowers & Hops
- 1 Tsp / Honey Simple Syrup
- Garnish / Unripe Satsuma plum slices
Prep Time:
10 mins
Start with chilled cold brew in your rocks glass. If you want to keep it extra cold, freeze some of the cold brew into cubes.
Your Bitters and Honey Simple Syrup can go directly into your cold brew base. Go easy on the bitters – you can always add more.
Homogenize your mixture with a stir and add your whiskey. The bottle is appropriately capped with a tin cup, so feel free to use that in place of a jigger (it’s a lot more than 1.5 ounces, so I fill it half way).
The garnish is pretty much up to you! If you’re enjoying the salty ocean air while sipping, it makes sense to balance this savory drink with a tart Satsuma plum sliver. However, if you’re pairing with ice cream (I have indeed), a sprig of rosemary can offer some tasty dissonance to the duo.
Enjoy slowly in the company of baristas and friends.
Cheers, Naida
Words: Naida Lindberg
Images: Parker Batterson