I'm a fan of cocktails; I prefer them to a beer or a glass of wine to accompany my dinner. I love how a well-made cocktail can be complex and tell a story. And fortunately, one of my best friends is an expert at making them. So to honor my Hispanic heritage, I challenged her to develop a cocktail with tequila and coffee. In Chile, coffee has always been a favorite flavor in ice cream, desserts, and drinks, from Café Helado to Cola de mono (the Chilean version of the eggnog).
Hola! The best part about cocktails, in my opinion, is the way they bring people together. Like food, they allow us to explore exciting flavor combinations that can evoke memories or bring new surprises. Experimenting with them and drinking them with friends brings me joy. When I was invited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I was thrilled.
This collaboration was as challenging as it was fun and delicious! Starting with a solid 100% blue agave tequila like Jose Cuervo Especial was vital. Colombian Dark Roast Cold Brew is so delicious that it can be enjoyed by itself! Though I knew tequila and coffee go together well, I was excited to learn that Cointreau is also a standard liqueur in Hispanic homes. The sweet orange flavors would balance out the sharp bitterness of the Colombian cold brew coffee.
Ancho Reyes is a chili liqueur made from poblano peppers in Mexico. It has a delightfully spicy and slightly smoky flavor that adds just the right amount of complexity to this cocktail. Could the cocktail be done without the addition of this ingredient? Absolutely. But since it is widely available now, I recommend it!
Cinnamon naturally played well with the other flavors in this cocktail, so we used it to mix with the ingredients, as well as a garnish. This is a fun trick – it is so easy and impressive when you serve guests a drink with a cinnamon stick still smoking. Just hold a cinnamon stick over a gas burner, and besides garnishing your drinks, your kitchen will smell amazing! It’s a win-win!
A Despacito cocktail: Coffee, Tequila, Ancho Reyes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Mixing glass
- Cuisine: Latin
Description
A great cocktail for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 4 ½ ounces (135 ml) Cold Brew Coffee Colombian Dark Roast
- 4 ½ ounces (135 ml) of José Cuervo Especial Tequila
- 1 ½ ounces (45 ml) Cointreau or orange liqueur
- ¾ ounces (20 ml) Ancho Reyes, optional
- 1 package of Simple Truth® Honey Crystals or 1 ounce of simply syrup
- Cinnamon sticks to serve
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass, along with a smoked cinnamon stick, and stir with ice to chill and dilute the drink.
- Strain into old-fashioned glasses over a large clear ice cube.
- Garnish with a smoking cinnamon stick.
Notes
The Despacito is a drink to enjoy slowly with dinner. I recommend drinking it with a meat dish, especially pork and grilled vegetables.
The recipe Despacito Cocktail is sponsored by Kroger® in 2018. All opinions are mine.
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