Frozen Espresso

by ,

                                     Frozen Espresso

I took advantage of a warm weather wave that hit us during our winter (I am in the Southern Hemisphere) so I decided to create a pairing more suitable to the weather experienced by most of our readers, in the Northern Hemisphere.

I wanted a cocktail along the lines of a Cuban Espresso, but because of the heat, I opted to prepare it “frozen,” which should go well with the heat.  Judging by the result, it was the correct decision.

This is a cocktail we’ve prepared before; except this time I will prepare it in the shaker and will serve it in a glass filled with frappé ice.  The technique is very simple, you just have to keep in mind not to put a lot of ice in the shaker, to avoid having the cocktail too watery when served.

These are the ingredients and their proportions:

  • 2 oz. Coffee Liqueur
  • 2 oz. Zacapa 12 Ambar
  • 2 oz. Espresso Coffee

Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with very little ice, ideally a single ice cube.  Shake enough to combine the ingredients and then pour into a Rocks glass, filled to the top with frappé (finely crushed/shaved) ice.

As far as the cigar, I selected a Churchill from VegasFinas, from the clásica line (50 x 7 ½), a medium-bodied cigar, produced by Tabacalera de Garcia, in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

I started by cutting the cigar with a double guillotine, a very normal procedure, but I experienced problems with the draw and I had to perform an additional cut, which solved the problem.

This is a simple pairing, very even, with no fluctuations during the smoking session.  In other words, both the cigar and the cocktail remained consistent for almost an hour.  The result was a very comfortable pairing, easy to approach and enjoy by most cigar smokers.

You can personalize the cocktail to your liking, either by squeezing some orange peel or by adding chocolate syrup straight into the glass, if you prefer.

The cocktail is exceedingly easy to prepare, it does not require a lot of time or technique and it is ideal for hot days.  I don’t think it matches well with stronger cigars, we’ll save those for another occasion. 

Cheers!

Philip Ili Barake

#GRCigarPairing