A serious cocktail at brunch is not for the faint of heart. Mimosas and Bloody Marys have been around for years, but local establishments are upping the ante and creating distinctive options using morning’s favorite beverage, coffee.
At Icehouse in the Whittier neighborhood they offer Hooray for Earth for those seeking spirited coffee—a drink that pairs a bourbon fizz with cold press coffee, ginger and a bitter called cynar. At Mill Valley Kitchen in St Louis Park you can get a Morning Bender to go with your quinoa waffles—a mix of stout beer, rye, port and espresso. Pat’s Tap on 35th and Nicollet has a Wake Up Beer on the menu that combines your choice or Porter or Stout with a shot of cold press coffee. In St. Paul you can get a “Café Toledo” at Ward 6, a drink that combines coffee with a variety of cordials and a head of whipped cream.
Not far from Lake Harriet in southwest Minneapolis is Café Maude where they offer a brunch cocktail described as “bourbon espresso bliss” or by it’s more formal name, Morning in the Village.
Bar Manager Elliot Manthey says this eye-opener is terrific because it’s dry, spirit forward and you can really taste the espresso. He was kind enough to share the recipe in case you want to turn up the volume at your next brunch:
Morning in the Village
Courtesy of Café Maude
Makes one cocktail
1.5 ounces bourbon
.75 ounces Cointreau
.75 ounces freshly brewed espresso (Caribou Coffee’s Cross Fox Espresso)
4 dashes chocolate bitters
Strip of orange peel
Put everything except orange peel in a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously with ice for 30 seconds, strain and serve straight up with a twist of orange peel.
This post is presented by Caribou Coffee 
