As the northern hemisphere starts to thaw, it’s beginning to feel like cold-brew coffee season. We asked Tenaya Darlington, cheese blogger at Madame Fromage and author of The New Cocktail Hour (Running Press, 2016), for her favorite brewed and boozy cocktail recipes to pair with two star cheeses. Her Rumchata and Black Julep recipes are two-for-one buzz specials sure to get your night (or day) started off right. (Photo Credit: Tenaya Darlington)
Black Julep
Ingredients
- ½ ounce 15 ml mint syrup*
- 1 ounce 30 ml bourbon (Four Roses)
- 3 ounces 90 ml cold-brew coffee
- Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- Stir mint syrup, bourbon, and coffee together in a rocks glass. Add crushed ice and garnish with mint.
Notes
* MINT SYRUP: Follow the Simple Syrup recipe (above). Bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat and add 1 cup (15 g) of loosely packed mint leaves. Gently muddle the leaves against the side of the pan using the back of a wooden spoon. Cover, and allow the mint to steep for 30 minutes to an hour. Strain and pour into a clean jar or bottle. Then, cover and refrigerate.
PAIR WITH: Occelli Testun al Malto d’Orzo e Whiskey
PAIR WITH: Occelli Testun al Malto d’Orzo e Whiskey
Rumchata
Ingredients
- 4 ounces 120 ml horchata
- 1 ounce 30 ml dark rum (El Dorado 5 yr)
- ½ to 1 ounce 15 to 30 ml cold brew coffee
- Dash of cinnamon to garnish
- HORCHATA:
- Makes 4 ½ cups or 36 ounces
- 1 cup 185 g uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 4 cups 950 ml cold water, divided
- ½ cup 120 ml simple syrup*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- HORCHATA: Combine rice, cinnamon stick, and 2 cups (475 ml) of water in a large jar or pitcher. Cover and let sit for at least 8 hours, or overnight, blend the rice mixture, including the cinnamon stick, in a blender on high for 15 to 20 seconds, or until the rice has been ground to a sandy consistency. Add the remaining 2 cups of water, and blend a second time, briefly. Strain the rice mixture through a fine-mesh kitchen strainer lined with cheesecloth. You’ll need to stir it to help the mixture pass through the cloth. Discard the leftover rice paste. Stir in syrup, vanilla, and salt.
- RUMCHATA: Fill a chilled rocks or highball glass with ice. Add the rum and horchata. Stir. Pour in the cold brew over the back of a spoon and garnish the top with cinnamon.
Notes
* SIMPLE SYRUP:
Makes 1 ½ cups (12 ounces)
1 cup (200 g) Demerara sugar
1 cup (240 ml) water
Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil. Stir until sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the stove. Cool. Transfer the syrup to a clean bottle or jar. Cover and refrigerate.
PAIR WITH: Birchrun Hills Tomme Molé
Makes 1 ½ cups (12 ounces)
1 cup (200 g) Demerara sugar
1 cup (240 ml) water
Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil. Stir until sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the stove. Cool. Transfer the syrup to a clean bottle or jar. Cover and refrigerate.
PAIR WITH: Birchrun Hills Tomme Molé
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