Coyote Tango – A Pacific Rim Cocktail

Fair warning: this is the strangest cocktail I’ve ever made. The concept came from a coffee shop I frequented in London when I was interning for the BBC. Curator’s Coffee does a unique creation every so often. The month I was there they were making an espresso punch with mint and strawberries. It sounded terrible but I was proven so wrong. By pairing a fruity espresso with strawberry and mint the results were delicious and odd.

Summer Espresso Punch Photo by Curator’s Coffee http://www.curatorscoffee.com/

I tried to recreate this with my cocktail. And the results were pretty good. The basic composition of the punch was similar to a mojito so I decided to try using rum. Captain being all I had in the house I thought I’d give it a go.

For coffee I used Pact Finca Manila prepared using a moka pot.

The result was interesting. Herbal and refreshing (both KJ and myself immediately thought Coke on the first sip) on the palate with a distinct tart bite from the strawberries and coffee.

Also, the name was just sort of thrown on here because I’m feeling excited about my Pacific Rim rewatch last week.

Ingredients
4 Strawberries, hulled and chopped.
100ml strong coffee prepared with 3 tspn sugar and cooled. I recommend a coffee with red berry, citrus or pomme flavour notes.
8 mint leaves
50ml spiced rum.
Soda water
Ice

Combine strawberries and mint in a mixing tin and muddle. Mix in rum and coffee and fill tin with ice. Shake well and double strain into pint glass full of ice. Top with soda water and stir slowly to combine.

An ode to widely available craft beer

After a certain point of drinking craft beer you get to the point where you can become easily frustrated by seeing the same draught beers everywhere you go. What I’m saying is that at some point we all become this guy

Source: The Onion

Once you’ve reached that point there’s a few rules of etiquette that I force on myself.

1. Never turn down a beer offered to you and then go buy your own. You drink yours what is offered to you and then buy the next round.

2. Never complain to the bar staff about their beer selection. You know as well as I do they have no control over what’s on offer.

3. Find your staples. Certain great beers will be available almost everywhere in a region. Learn what they are if you plan on being in one place for a while.

These are usually very good beers that come from great breweries, but for whatever reason their more interesting stuff doesn’t have the same commercial appeal. Here’s just a few of my favourites.

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Source: thebeerdaily.com

 

Everyone knows Sam Adams at this point. The Boston-based brewery distributes across the world and as such you can find it pretty much everywhere in England and New England. The flagship lager packs a ton more flavour than most “lagers” you’ll find. But where this company really shines is in their Brewmaster Collection, here’s my favourite.

Source: geografnik.blogspot.com

Lattitude 48 is an IPA hopped only with hops grown on the 48th lattitude. It’s a well balanced and interesting IPA. You won’t find it in the UK at all but if you’re in the States I highly recommend seeing what this brewery is truly capable of.

 

Quick note: Most places where Sam Adams is available you’re likely to find Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager as well. It’s a fantastic malty little number and if you like Sam Adams but find it too hoppy I’d suggest Brooklyn.

Also, they make one of my favourite beers of all time, Black Chocolate Stout.

Source: kingbobyjr.wordpress.com

It’s a 10% ABV punch in the mouth. It’s available in the UK but it’s harder to find. It’s usually around more at Christmas time.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Source: SierraNevada.com

Oh, Sierra Nevada makes me so happy. Out of this list their signature brew is my least favourite, but they distribute their other brews widely in the UK. Of those one you must try and will very likely be able to find (if you’re in Leeds try Tapped or Brewery Tap) is the Torpedo Extra IPA, a strong and bitter IPA that I can’t get enough of.

Source: SierraNevada.com

Brewdog Punk IPA

Source: Brewdog.com

If you’re from or living in Britain then chances are you know of Brewdog already and have definitely tried the Punk IPA. Punk IPA is my favourite on this list, it has an unapologeticly hoppy taste with a strong alcohol kick. It’s available almost everywhere and you can even get it from Sainsbury’s. Punk IPA gets top honours because it has the best flavour and is the most ubiquitous UK craft beer.  Also many cities in Britain have a Brewdog bar. But like all beers on this list, Brewdog doesn’t stop coming up with great stuff just because their flagship is so popular.

Source: BrewDog.com

Meet the Clown King: a knock-you-out-drag-you-around Barley Wine. At a whopping 12% this is definitely a one of the best beers I’ve ever had.

Also, one of the best things about Brewdog is you can buy directly from their site.

http://www.brewdog.com/product/clown-king

 

Bar Profile: Fab Cafe

Fab Cafe is a bar located in the Leeds City Centre that caters to the geek and goth crowds. It’s not much to look at from the outside, in fact you’d likely miss it if it wasn’t for the large sign jutting out into the pavement.

Source: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

It bills itself as the “first movie and TV themed bar,” and it is fairly impressive. There’s a great collection of geeky games available to play, including the Star Wars arcade game I wasted my youth (and my quarters) on.

Source: http://www.arcade-museum.com

Fab keeps with the geeky aesthetic throughout. In addition to the aforementioned games the walls are decorated with lots of neat comics, film and television memorabilia including full-size Daleks and Xenomorphs. You’ll also find some niche stuff in mint condition behind the glass cases that most of the memorabilia is behind, including the titular hero of the cult Toxic Avenger series.

The music they play is generally good as well, skirting the line between legitimately good, nostalgic, and ironic. I’ve definitely heard Arcade Fire, Blink-182 and Vanilla Ice in the same evening there.

They often host films on their televisions throughout the bar. Recently their Manchester location has been screening Firefly, which is a nice touch.

Part of what I really like about Fab is their marketing. Fridays are Stir fry-days and are Archer themed.

Overall, atmosphere is welcoming and non-pretentious and their drink and snack selection reflects that. Snacks range from sweets to crisps, but they have meals such as sarnies and fish fingers. If you’re a beer drinker you’ll have to settle for an imported lager or a Guinness if you prefer keg beers, they have a couple of real ales available. But they often seem to run out fairly quickly. On top of the draughts, they have ciders, bottles beers, and your standard alcopops. Cocktails are a bit more where they shine, a big selection of spirits and talented bartenders make it so that you can get almost anything you’d like.

Where it gets a bit rough is the price. You’re buying standard cheap beers and ciders, but you’re paying for the atmosphere. Fab Cafe is definitely a place to visit, but it’s very polarizing. You’ll likely have a blast there, but with evening cover charges, average booze, and high prices it might not become your new favourite hangout.