[:it]Cocktails with coffee: history and advice[:]
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Coffee and mixing are two different worlds, very distant and which apparently have few points in common. If we analyze their relationship better, we discover that it has actually been quite solid, for many years now. It's gods 80sin fact, the news of an English bartender who prepared a drink based on vodka and espresso coffee, to meet the needs of a customer who wanted to keep his mind clear even while tasting an alcoholic cocktail. He was born like thisEspresso Martini, a cocktail served in a Martini glass – the name comes from here – prepared with vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur, recognized as an official IBA cocktail since 2011. The importance and the way in which coffee becomes part of the recipe in cocktail has further evolved in recent years. While on the one hand other cocktails have been created that involve the use of espresso, such as theEspresso Tonic with gin, tonic water and coffee, on the other hand it must also be noted that the use of coffee in mixing has gone beyond mere espresso.
Coffee has become a real ingredient, so much so that it is used in beans, powder or with extraction methods not yet so well known in Italy, which have become widespread here for just under 10 years now. We are talking in particular about filter coffees, previously used almost exclusively in the nations with the highest consumption of this type of extraction. If there is one method which, more than others, has seen success in the world of cocktails, this is definitely the Cold Brew, a cold extraction by percolation, in which the drink obtained has a strong aromatic power and an almost total absence of the bitter part.
This type of coffee is already designed to be enjoyed cold and it is precisely in these conditions that it gives its best, even when mixed. If we have to talk about blends instead, an important chapter must be dedicated to the countless characteristics of coffee: area of origin, type of harvest, roasting and grinding. Every single step is essential to act decisively on the aromatic profile of the coffee. That said, the variety of black gold more fitting when mixed for its strong aromatic power It's Arabica, unless you also need body in the cocktail. So, in that case, the choice of blends also containing the robusta variety prevails, more suitable for preparations such as espresso and shaken coffee.
When choosing which selection to make, the moment in which the drink is offered also plays an important role. If themed cocktails are often offered after dinner - an excellent alternative is the aperitif moment - greater attention must be paid to the quantity of caffeine present in the bean and, consequently, in the final drink. Over the years many bartenders have offered personal offers twist on the great classics: from the Old Fashioned to the Negroni, from the Milan-Turin to the Manhattan and from the Sazerac to the Paloma. One of the best-known professionals in Italy, who currently deals with training, consultancy and the creation of new products, Dennis Zoppi, has revisited a great classic like the Bloody Mary in a coffee key. The cocktail is called Noir Noir and is prepared with vodka, tomato pulp, coffee vinaigrette, salt, black pepper, oregano. Another example of a contemporary coffee-themed proposal, this time non-alcoholic, is the E-Tonic proposed by the Lavazza trainer Fabio Sipione, with espresso, tonic, sugar syrup, juniper berries, ginger sticks and cubed ice.
We thank Lavazza Trainer Fabio Sipione and Bartender Dennis Zoppi for their contribution to support the contents of the article[:]