Guest Author - Beth Schreibman Gehring
I don't know about you, but I definitely love a good mug of hot coffee in the winter and if it's spiced with several wonderful liqueurs, even better! I love Captain Morgans spiced rum in my coffee, but Myers Dark Rum is very good as well. For me, one of the determining factors in a coffee drink of any type is the coffee. I really think that it is important to use a intensely flavored, brewed coffee such as a Columbian or a Mocha Java. This is because the coffee really becomes a part of the drink, an essential flavoring component not just a carrier for the alcohol!
The best way that I have found to make a great cup of coffee is with a French press. You can buy one of these at any Starbucks and I have even seen them in grocery stores. The French press is simply that, a cannister that you put several tablespoons of coffee in and then pour boiling hot water over. The French press pot also has a plunger that you then place inside the cannister. After the coffee steeps for about 3 minutes, you take the plunger and press it down. This will leave you with a perfectly strained cup of coffee that is ready to make your drink with! If you don't have a French press a simple coffee pot will do, although I encourage you to find a press if you can. Coffee made with one is really a treat!
Amaretto, that wonderfully rich Italian liqueur flavored with almonds is a wonderful thing to add along with the rum. It's delectable flavor mixes beautifully with a good cup of coffee, giving the entire drink an elegant finesse, not too sweet, but a bit mysterious at the same time. I like to put my alcoholic ingredients into shot glasses before I pour them into the drink and let them warm up in a bowl of hot water. This way the drink will stay hot through the preparation. I don't like to add sugar to this drink, although you can. I prefer instead to flavor my whipped cream with a touch of sugar and perhaps a bit of almond extract. Adding Amaretto to the whipped cream would be a bit too much, you just want a hint of the almond flavor before diving into the richness of the coffee.
You will need for one drink:
A cup of freshly brewed good quality coffee
One very small pat of butter
1/2 an ounce of Amaretto di Saronno, gently heated
1 ounce of dark rum or Captain Morgans spiced rum, gently heated
Whipped cream that you have flavored with a bit of sugar and some almond extract
Slivered almonds that you have sprinkled with a bit of butter and sugar, then lightly toasted.
To make one drink:
Pour coffee over the butter that you have put into a tempered glass mug. Add the rum and the amaretto. Stir!
Top with the freshly whipped and flavored cream and perhaps a toasted, slivered almond or two for garnish!
