For a totally different experience with a coffee cocktail, this Spanish Coffee Cocktail with Brandy is a must try; absolutely swoonworthy with the flavors of orange and brandy.
Although winter officially starts in December, in Colorado I think of real winter as January and February when the biting cold really calls for a warming cocktail like this Spanish Coffee Cocktail with Brandy.
It doesn't help that I am a died in the wool, staunch environmental conservationist and while my home is pretty tight and my utility bills manageable, I continue to keep my thermostat set pretty low.
I think I do it ostensibly to 'save it for the children' but my children walk in the door and first thing out of their mouths is 'turn up the heat!' so I've failed somewhere. Having a warm drink like this Spanish Coffee Cocktail with Brandy sure helps!
So there are certainly days when the thought of making a cold cocktail doesn't work and yesterday was one of those days.
My tootsies were freezing and my hunt for something warm landed on warm coffee drinks.
We're all familiar with Irish Coffee but I'm betting a visit to Spain will leave you warmed to your toes even more; I have to tell you this Spanish Coffee with Brandy, Whipped Cream, and orange zest really did the trick.
I had a Spanish Coffee cocktail not long ago when I met some friends for Happy Hour.
It was simpler and a combination of coffee and brandy, called a . I was in the mood for warm then too but I forgot to beg the bartender for his recipe so I was on my own.
OH MY...there are a million recipes so I've taken the general idea and done my own thing.
One important thing? No Kahlua like many recipes suggested. I wanted this to be different from Kahlua and coffee and Brandy seemed to be the ideal component.
I actually used a bottle of Cognac (how on earth could I be out of brandy?) and while it's not important to use the cream of the brandy crop like I did, it was not a bad thing.
I think the whole key to this cocktail is the orange. Not a drop of orange is in the drink in the form of juice or liqueur but it is nonetheless very present.
The rim is rubbed with an orange slice to help coat it with raw brown sugar and that zest on the top is so fragrant that it is part of the experience with every sip.
If you don't have raw sugar, you can substitute plain brown sugar but try to find the raw product.
I use it every day in my morning coffee and that bit of molasses adds a richness I love. No longer a difficult to find exotic ingredient either, you can find it in the sugar aisle of most grocery stores.
Part of why I like using it for rimming is the mouthfeel; it adds a nice crunchy sugary element that makes it more fun to drink.
I made this Spanish Coffee Cocktail with Brandy to test it but had to make it again yesterday to get photos. Poor me. I was sipping while I wrote; apologies in advance for any typos, OK? But do try this...it's eye rolling good. Cheers!
From the Archives
Spanish Coffee with Espresso
