This Coffee Negroni Is the Cocktail of the Summer
Photo courtesy of Rowan Coffee.
When we stopped into Rowan Coffee in Asheville, North Carolina, co-founders Bow Smith and Holden Curran offered us a taste of their coffee cocktail of the day, the Hello, Ruby. One taste, and we begged them to share the recipe with us. Since we can't stroll to Downtown Asheville to drink this every day, we'll have to make it at home. You'll want to also: It's the ideal drink for summer.
Hello, Ruby
This coffee drink was inspired by the classic negroni. We used a juniper syrup to mimic the floral and herbal qualities of gin, cold brew to mimic the sweet and dense vermouth, and hibiscus/currant ice cubes to mimic the tart and complex Campari. A little bit of tonic water and Angostura bitters round it out and make it light and refreshing; perfect for warm, sunny days. The preparation for this one is a bit labor intensive, but it’s well worth the work!
Ingredients
6 oz. cold brew (see step 1)
2 hibiscus & currant ice cubes (see step 2)
2 oz. juniper syrup (see step 3)
2 oz. tonic water
Angostura bitters
1 orange, for the peel
Preparation
1. Make a batch of cold brew, combining 1 part ground coffee with 10.5 parts room-temp water by weight. Let steep for 16 hours and strain.
2. Make a batch of hibiscus and currant tea (we use Hugo Tea’s currant tisane), using 1 part tea to 63 parts water by weight. Steep for 10 minutes; strain and freeze in an ice tray.
3. For juniper syrup, bring a simple syrup to a boil with dried juniper berries: One quart of water, one quart of sugar, and ten grams of juniper berries.
4. Combine cold brew and juniper syrup in a rocks glass with tea ice cubes. Top with tonic water and a dash of Angostura bitters.
5. Garnish with an orange peel.
Discover More Asheville Treats
Follow Bow and Holden around town: Check out their guide to A Highly Caffeinated, Best Day Ever in Asheville for their favorite local spots, like Sawhorse, River Arts District Greenway, East Fork, Lookout Mountain, La Bodega by Cúrate, The Golden Pineapple, and Crow & Quill, among others.