Barista turned Mixologist for NYE

Don’t underestimate your coffee equipment… They may look pretty and make great coffee, but they are also functional. Immersion brew methods, specifically, make the best winter cocktails due to their excellent method of infusion.

This New Years Eve, go from barista to Mixologist with these Yama Glass gear coffee cocktails.

French Press Apple Peel Bourbon + Manhattan

(It’s a take on Apple Peel Bourbon on Food52)

Ingredients

1 bottle (750ml bourbon)
1 Ib of your favorite red apples peeled
Cinnamon stick 1-2 1” pieces should suffice
2-3 Cloves

The Infusion Process: Place all the ingredients in a large french press and sit at room temperature for 24 -48 hours. Press down and strain into a glass bottle with an airtight lid.

Make it a Manhattan – Ingredients

2.5 oz of your bourbon
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes of your favorite bitters
garnish with an apple and orange peel

French Press Orange Glogg

(Adapted from Cocktail Revolution)

Ingredients

2 cups of orange juice
½ cup brown sugar
5 crushed cardamom pods
1 inch of peeled and sliced ginger
1 bottle of Chardonnay, or any sweet wine

The infusion process

Combine orange juice, brown sugar, cardamom pods and ginger in a pan and simmer for a few minutes. Pour the concoction into a French press and add the wine to top it off. Depending on how intense you want the drink, wait 3-6 minutes and then push down on the plunger. Pour in a heat resistant glass.

The Autumn Warmer

(It’s a take on The Rooibos Cocktail made popular by The Aviary in Chicago.)

Bottom Beaker:

100 mL Gin
100 mL water
tsp of simple syrup

Top Beaker:

1tsp of Roobios Tea
1 Orange peel & 1 Lemon peel
Fresh Mint (1 sprig)
Vanilla (1/4 sprig)
Pinch of Cardamon
2 whole Peppercorns
1 whole Cinnamon stick – toast the stick, before using to stir the top beaker during infusion.

The Infusion Process: Place the top beaker containing your dry ingredients firmly into the bottom beaker. Start heating the bottom beaker with your alcohol or butane burner (or beam heater if you’re fancy). Once the water and alcohol have come to a full boil a vacuum will be created. The liquid in the bottom beaker will now travel up to the top vessel. Let this steep for one minute. Turn off the heat and give the upper beaker a vigorous mixing using the cinnamon stick. As the bottom cools the libation in the top beaker will make it’s way down through the cloth filter. Once it’s all settled back into the bottom beaker, serve hot

Mulled Hard Cider

Ingredients

Hard cider (preferably dry to medium dry).
2oz spirits: Apple spirits are preferred such as based Apple Brandy, Calvados, or Apple Jack to taste/strength, rum and whiskey will also work.
3-6 cloves
Cinnamon stick 1-2 1” pieces should suffice
2-3 allspice berries
Orange, any variety the more flavorful the better. About 1/4 orange worth of zest or a few good slices of peel removed with a fruit/vegetable peeler and squeeze for juice.
Apple slices (Save some for garnish)
Optional Tbsp of honey or sugar (white or brown)

If you are feeling adventurous you can and should add anything and everything you can imagine such as vanilla, ginger, anise, nutmeg, etc..

The Infusion Process:

Pour all the liquid ingredients into the bottom beaker along with a splash (2-3 Tbsp) of Orange Juice. Place all dry ingredients in the top beaker and some orange zest or peel. With the top beaker firmly placed into the bottom apply heat. Once the liquids reach the top beaker let the mulling commence for 3-4 minutes. Remove heat source from the bottom beaker and let the liquids filter through.Serve in your desired cup and enjoy!

Words of wisdom/caution:
Drink responsibly! Always be careful when heating alcohol with open flames. Do not leave unattended. Just as with all siphon brewing and usage, the bottom bowl is under pressure when in use, do not leave heat applied for extended periods of time.