DrinkWire is Liquor.com’s showcase for the best articles, recipes and reviews from the web’s top writers and bloggers. In this post, Cocktail Crafty offers a coffee bourbon cocktail.

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I love fall! I love wandering the city aimlessly over crisp leaves with coffee in hand. The cool air touched with the smell of wood burning somewhere off in the distance. One of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail. In it, Tom Hanks comments on how amazing the city is in the fall. "It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." I'd gladly accept that bouquet.

For me, fall marks the transition from clean and crisp spirits to robust darker spirits. In a nutshell, it's whiskey weather. I set out recently to create a whiskey cocktail that encapsulated everything I love about this time of year.

The UP & AT 'EM is a twist on the classic old fashioned. It combines the vanilla and oak of bourbon with the complimentary flavors of orange, chocolate, and coffee. The highlight of this cocktail has to be the cold brew ice ball.

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In lieu of traditional ice, I decided to create an ice ball using cold brew coffee. Simply pour your favorite cold brew into an ice mold and allow to freeze overnight. You can use your cold brew ice to flavor and chill your favorite cocktails or to simply make iced coffee.


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What I love about this cocktail, aside from how well all the flavors come together, is how the taste is constantly evolving. The UP & AT 'EM starts out as a bourbon forward cocktail then slowly mellows into an amazing coffee drink. It's a cocktail to relax with and enjoyed slowly over time. It's also my new favorite brunch drink. The coffee wakes you up and energizes you while the bourbon provides the kick in the pants needed to tackle whatever the day may bring.

UP & AT 'EM

  • 2oz Bourbon
  • 1/2oz Grand Marnier
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 2 dashes Chocolate Bitters
  • Cold Brew ice block

INSTRUCTIONS

In a shaker combine bourbon, Grand Marnier, syrup, and bitters.

Shake with ice.

Pour over cold brew ice in an old fashioned glass.

Enjoy!

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