If you consult the recipe for drinks such as the Espresso Martini, for example, you will find the ingredient "espresso" listed as one of the ingredients. But let's look at it from a different perspective, namely from the world of baristas. Because when the best coffee brewers pick up their shakers, the type and preparation of the coffee play a role that should not be underestimated.
How this can taste when the 3rd Wave of Coffee meets the 2nd Golden Age of Bartending can be seen in creations like Cornetto Liquido. Here, the coffee brings much more than just "notes of coffee" to the cocktail. The winning drink was mixed by Milo Kamil, head of the Coffee Lab Zurich, at the Swiss Coffee Championships 2020.
BAR NEWS wanted to find out from the reigning Swiss champion in the "Coffee in Good Spirits" category how baristas go about mixing with coffee.
BAR NEWS: What is the status of coffee cocktails in the world of baristas?
Milo Kamil: This world of baristas and that of bartenders are very much separated in reality. You can already see that in job advertisements. A company is either looking for a Barkeeper or a barista. Personally, I think it's a shame that these worlds don't mix more. Because when the bar and coffee scene join forces, both can benefit.
In what way?
For example, if more coffee cocktails are sold, then the topic of specialty coffee can suddenly become a topic in the evening as well. What it needs, however, is a bit of know-how and curiosity. Many are not even aware of how big and complex the topic of coffee actually is. One difficulty is certainly that many Barkeeper do not want to sell coffee in the evening.
About Milo Kamil
Milo Kamil is head of Coffee Lab Zurich and an authorised SCA trainer. He is a multiple winner at the Swiss Coffee Championships and the reigning Swiss champion in the Coffee in Good Spirits category.
Which is completely understandable. There are many bars that don't want to serve latte macchiato after a certain point for financial reasons.
Already. But when you combine coffee with spirits, it becomes interesting again. Also for cafés. As a barista, I can push coffee cocktails at two o'clock in the afternoon or at brunch if I want to. Especially for businesses that are not only open in the evening, coffee cocktails can be very interesting.
What are the requirements for coffee cocktails that fit into this time frame?
That depends a lot on the individual. There are those who want to go for something sweet and dessert-like after lunch. Others want a light aperitif before dinner. In our culture, espresso is normal after dinner, but it's also quite interesting to have coffee before dinner.
The wake-up effect of caffeine and that of alcohol is a very interesting combination (laughs). In any case, such drinks should be somewhat lighter. Coffee does not have to be the base in these cases, but it is interesting as an additional flavouring agent.
How does a barista proceed when he or she wants to create a cocktail?
For the championship, the guidelines are that the coffee must be present in the cocktail. That means I first extract and taste the coffee and then look for the right spirit. If I have a fruity strawberry note in the coffee, for example, I can choose a spirit with a chocolate note, because these flavours complement each other very well.
But what I have to take into account is that the taste of coffee changes when it is cooled down. With filter coffee, for example, you can observe very well how the fruit acid comes out at lower temperatures. That's why I usually extract the coffee, let it get cold and only then taste it.
You can pre-produce coffee for a shift.
Milo Kamil
And how do I find the right one from what feels like hundreds of thousands of different coffees?
There are general taste descriptions for different regions. Ethiopian rather flowery and berry-fruity. Brazil nutty and chocolate. Indonesia strong and spicy. But in the end, you have to look for the information of each coffee on the packaging or elsewhere. The question is always whether I want to emphasise a flavour or bring in a new note.
If you put an espresso in a cocktail, it will taste very intensely of coffee. How can you use coffee more discreetly?
Personally, I really like mixing with espresso. But if I only put a bar spoon of espresso in the cocktail, it would be a shame to use the rest of the espresso. Therefore, in my opinion, there is nothing to be said against a good mis-en-place. You can pre-produce coffee for a shift. This not only saves time, but also has the advantage that you don't have to put the coffee hot into the shaker.
Cornetto Liquido
| 1 | Espresso (Natural Colombian Coffee) |
| 4 cl | La Peruana Pisco |
| 3 cl | Frangelico |
| 4 cl | Melted Caramel Soft Ice |
Preparation: Shake all ingredients on ice and strain into a metal tumbler without ice. Add a pinch of salt.
Cloudy Bears
| 1 | Espresso (Natural Colombian Coffee) |
| 2 cl | Aarver Gin |
| 5 cl | Cascara (coffee cherry husk) syrup (Erlkönig, diluted 1:100 ratio) |
| 1 cl | Crème de Cacao |
Preparation: Heat all ingredients to 50°C using the steam lance of the espresso machine.
Decoration: Stick gummy bears on a stick and then hide them with candy floss. The hot drink is poured in front of the guest on a glass with the candyfloss ball. The gummy bears slowly become visible as the cotton wool slowly melts.
