Sunday, April 13, 2008
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits, Recipes

Coffee &crème de la crème

Patrón & Grand Marnier brew up two gems

CREDIT:Courtesy of Patrón
By Jason Tesauro and Phineas Mollod

Peggy Lee’s sultry “Black Coffee” is a melancholy tune that muses over the indefatigable link between heartbreak, beans, and nicotine: “I'm feelin' mighty lonesome/Haven't slept a wink/I walk the floor from nine to four/And in between I drink/ …And drown her past regrets/In coffee and cigarettes.” Java and smokes classically pair with misery, but tequila’s a close second. Sadly, for shaky sorts looking for the holy trinity of self-pity, rumors of a Marlboro Mocha Mescal are at this time unfounded. However, Patrón XO Café at last combines two great balms in one bottle; fantastic news for grade-A epicures who love agave and arabica.

Patrón has been leading the premium tequila movement for some time and aficionados deem it a sipping spirit not relegated solely to margaritas. The XO Café follows suit, its intriguing package presaging serious nectar inside: a blend of Patrón Silver and the natural essence of fine arabica bean coffee. Adios Starbucks and Kahlua…unlike run-of-the-mill coffee-flavored spirits, the XO Café nose is authentically rich and elegant. The tequila makes it a much drier spirit, and pleasantly potent at 35% ABV, yet neither too viscous nor cloyingly sweet despite velvety layers of coffee and toffee. We tried it several ways and the XO Café’s versatility proves as enlightening as the taste: neat as a cordial, splashed in coffee, as an accent for coffee martinis, and on the rocks with a splash of milk.

For the inside scoop, we pulled up a cup with Matt Carroll, Patrón's Chief Marketing Officer.

Q Have purists praised XO Café?
A Absolutely. Though Patrón is excellent in a cocktail or a margarita, it's perfect just to sip. Patrón XO Café also—it's great in a cocktail, or poured over ice cream, or simply, sipped over ice.
 
How is it different than simply adding tequila to coffee?
We infuse our Silver tequila with the essence of arabica bean coffee. Our method is a perfectly balanced blend that produces a flavorful coffee and tequila liqueur, not just a coffee and tequila cocktail. SP
Phineas and Jason are the authors of “The Modern Gentleman” and “The Modern Lover.” E-mail them at booze@sundaypaper.com.


Espresso Martini

• 2 oz Patrón XO Café
• 3 oz Irish Cream (or fresh cream, half & half)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass (optional dust with cocoa). Garnish with whole coffee beans.

Sesquicentennial Sumptuousness

In 1827, Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle founded the Grand Marnier distillery in Neauphle-le-Château, near Paris. In 1977, Studio 54 inspired its first line as chest hair flared to the beat of The Emotions’ “Best of My Love,” but back in France, for Grand Marnier’s 150th anniversary, producers created the Cuvée de Cent Cinquantenaire (40 percent ABV, retail $199.99). The peels of Citrus Bigardia oranges from the Caribbean are sundried for weeks, and then shipped to France. There, the peels are macerated in a neutral grain spirit, blended with rare cognac reserves from Grand Champagne, aged up to 50 years, and allowed to age in oak for three years. The colorful Belle Époque bottle design elicits lauds from guests; the opulent after-dinner liqueur tantalizes palates such that even if you’re no Escoffier in the kitchen, at least those triple crème cheeses, fig tarts, biscotti, or flan will shine.

While no-nonsense triple sec margaritas are perfect for a beach weekend, the Cent Cinquantenaire elevates an at-home cocktail hour or just-the-two-of-us moment. It produces a rich goldenrod hue (superior to prefab ’ritas … though, no reader of this column still uses alien green margarita mix), and the complexity of the liqueur surfs atop the rustic agave and citrus flavors offering hints of fruit, a tangy orange bitterness and a noticeable finish.

Tasting notes

Color: Rich reddish amber, India pale ale color
Nose: Tangerine, vanilla, seasoned leather/tobacco from the cognac; the sweet mist of a torn orange peel; honey; cinnamon, distant hints of coffee/dark chocolate essence, and a temperate alcohol aroma.
Mouth: Lightly viscous on the tongue, there is nice fruit on the front palate, an elegant orange bitterness and oakiness on the middle palate, and a pleasing heat of alcohol on the finish, washed over with some candied orange. 

Billionaire’s Margarita

• 2 oz. Silver or Reposado tequila
• 1 oz. Fresh lime juice
• 2/3 oz. Cuvée de Cent Cinquantenaire Grand Marnier
• Pinch of powdered sour mix

Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed margarita glass, or serve over rocks. Garnish with lime.