Cigarettes and Coffee: a toast to Otis Redding
It’s been so long since I’ve shared a cocktail recipe with you that I feel like you’ve missed a very significant event in the evolution of my palate. In the last two months I seem to have developed an uncanny appreciation of scotch – and not just the Highland or Skye varieties, that maintain similar flavor profiles to drier and more robust bourbons, but more specifically, scotch from the Islay region. If you aren’t familiar, scotch that is distilled in the region of Islay packs a particularly peaty punch that many people’s palates are not prepared for (that’s a whole lot of p’s). I certainly don’t judge – I was one of those people for a very long time, and I swore to myself that I would never drink Scotch…but here I am.
My new adoration for Islay scotch came about as a result of experimenting with one of my favorite after dinner cocktails, the Revolver. In conversation, I always credit the great Jeffrey Morgenthaler for this cocktail recipe, but in reality that doesn’t do justice to the man who actually created the fantastic concoction, Jon Santer, yet another talented cocktail master in San Francisco. The Revolver requires dry, spicy bourbon, coffee liqueur and orange bitters, with a flamed orange finish. Easy, peasy, and more importantly – absolutely delicious. I just can’t get tired of this cocktail, and I’ve not made it for a single guest who has ever turned up their nose to it.
A month or so ago, as I was preparing for an upcoming cocktail competition here in Macon, I found myself perusing collections of Allman Brothers and Otis Redding songs in search of some sort of inspiration that ran to Macon’s roots. In the process, I stumbled upon a song of Otis Redding’s that I had never heard before, titled “Coffee and Cigarettes”, that somehow felt very sentimental.
But it seemed so natural, darling
That you and I are here
Just talking over cigarettes and drinking coffee
And whole my heart cries out
Love, at last I’ve found you
And honey won’t you let me
Just be my whole life around you
And while I complete, I complete my whole life would be, yeah
If you would take things under consideration
And walk down this hour with me
And I would love it, yeah
(Cigarettes and Coffee – Otis Redding, 1966)
I’ve drank coffee my entire life, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I hand-roll my own tobacco for smoking. Although I can’t explain it, there is something very rejuvenating about sitting outside on the porch first thing in the morning, sipping on a hot cup of black coffee and smoking a cigarette. When I listened to this song, I felt like I was right there in that moment, and it made me smile.
More importantly, it made me think of the Revolver – and I decided to try something I had never dared to before…incorporating a peaty Islay scotch into a cocktail. Now don’t get too excited – after I discovered this masterpiece, I ended up deciding to pursue a different direction with my competition recipe, so I’m not about to give away all my secrets before I even have a chance to compete. 😉
Here’s my toast to Otis Redding’s soulful ballad.
Cigarettes and Coffee
2oz dry, spicy bourbon (I like Bib & Tucker)
1/2oz coffee liqueur (I prefer Dolce Nero, an Italian espresso liqueur)
1/2oz peaty Islay scotch (I enjoy both Lagavulin 16 and Laphroiag 10 in this)
2 dashes orange bitters
1 dash angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients in a stirring vessel and fill with ice. Stir until the outside of the vessel forms a frosty layer of condensation, then strain into a coupe glass.
Cut a circular swath of orange rind (with no fruit attached, please) and hold between your thumb and forefinger, angled over the side of your coupe glass. Using a match or a lighter, carefully warm the surface of the orange skin until you begin to notice the oils rising to the surface. When you feel the moment is right, and with the skin still facing the surface of your cocktail, press your thumb and forefinger together, expressing the oils on the skin through the flame of the match and onto the surface of your cocktail. I promise it sounds way more complicated than it really is, but like most things – practice makes perfect.
Upon completion, you should immediately take your cocktail outside to the porch or patio, sit down, and enjoy the sunset while listening to Otis Redding. Competition or not, this cocktail is a winner in my book. I hope you agree!
