We love any excuse for a celebration here at Presto, and, in honour of St Andrews day, we wanted to mark the occasion by bringing together two of our favourites – coffee and Scottish whiskey. 

St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and every year those north of the border get a cheeky extra bank holiday, which is the perfect reason for a little coffee cocktail or two.

Whiskey and coffee, a match made in heaven. But do you know 'where do coffee beans come from' that make your whiskey coffee so delightful?

Let’s dive straight in…

Maple Whiskey Coffee

This is an absolute beaut of a drink to warm you up on a cold winter’s day.  We guarantee this will become a firm favourite once you give it a go.  It’s so quick and simple too, you’ll have it whipped up in no time.

Ingredients

•         4 cups of freshly brewed coffee (our house espresso roast is perfect for this!)
•         4 shots of Scottish whiskey of choice
•         1 tbsp sugar (we prefer brown to go with our whiskey)
•         ¼ cup of Maple syrup
•         1 cup heavy whipping cream
•         2 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1.       In a mixing bowl add the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla.  If you’re feeling up to it grab your hand whisk, otherwise use your electric whisk and start mixing.  You looking for the mix to create nice firm peaks and all the sugar to be dissolved. (feel free to try a bit with a spoon just to be sure!)
2.       Add your whiskey to your freshly brewed coffee and stir.
3.       Add a generous spoonful of the maple whipped cream to the coffee (or as much as you want!)
4.       If you’re feeling fancy you could finish with some simple whipped cream and a sprinkle of sugar.
5.       Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Cold Brew

While a Maple Whiskey Coffee is perfect for an after-dinner treat on St Andrews Day, if you want to keep the party atmosphere going then why not try our cheeky take on an old fashioned. 

Cold Brew Coffee is perfect for this, and if you have never tried cold brew before then you are in for a real treat!

You have two options here, either make your own cold brew, which will require soaking ground coffee overnight to get a beautiful, deep, rich coffee, or buy a premade cold brew from the shops.  If it helps, we always think homemade tastes better. Exploring whiskey in coffee? Baileys Coffee is a must-try. See our simple 'How to Make Baileys Coffee' recipe to get started.

Making Cold Brew Coffee

For the ideal cold brew, you should use coarse ground coffee beans, which you can easily do with your grinder and some fresh coffee beans.  If you don’t have a grinder, however, fear not because you can also use pre-ground coffee.

Ingredients

•         1 cup coarse ground coffee
•         4 cups water

Method

1.       Mix the coffee and the water and stir gently.  We like to make ours in a jar as you will need a lid.
2.       Cover the coffee mix and let it steep for around 12 hours.  You can keep it out at room temperature or put it in the fridge overnight, both work well.
3.       After the coffee has steeped, you’ll want to strain it.  A kitchen muslin cloth works best for this, particularly if you have used normal coffee grounds.
4.       Enjoy!

Now we’re ready to make our Old Fashioned Cold Brew.  Let’s dive straight in…

Ingredients

•         ½ cup cold brew coffee
•         ½ cup whiskey
•         ¼ cup water
•         2 tbsp maple syrup
•         1 dash of bitters
•         Slice of orange to garnish

Method

1.       Add all your ingredients to a glass and stir gently
2.       Top with ice and garnish
3.       Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

No matter where or how you are celebrating, we wish you a happy St Andrews day from all of us here at Presto.