cafe l’orange seed - a non-alcoholic coffee cocktail
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A cocktail you can enjoy in the morning on a long weekend? Say no more. Mimosas and Bloody Marys are great, but what if you actually want to run some errands and work around the house that day? Enter - the non-alcoholic coffee cocktail.
A mix of an iced latte and a non-alcoholic cocktail, this entry in the dry January chronicles uses Seedlip, a distilled non-alcoholic spirit. I was interested in learning how to use these for those times when you just want a delicious beverage but aren’t in the mood for booze. There are also plenty of people in my life who don’t enjoy cocktails all the time, but appreciate having something special to drink.
This cafe l’orange seed cocktail is named for the closely related cafe l’orange cocktail, which has many iterations that combine the flavors of orange, coffee, and various spirits, and of course Seedlip, the non-alcoholic spirit used!
flavors
This non-alcoholic cocktail combines a lot of my favorite flavor combinations. I absolutely adore orange when combined with dark deep flavors like coffee or dark chocolate, and the vanilla syrup adds a depth and sweetness that takes this cocktail to the next level. The sparkling water elongates the drink and makes it a little more morning friendly. In fact, I think this could be extended into a tall collins glass if you found the flavors a little overpowering! Sweet, indulgent, bright, bitter and sparkly - it really just all comes together beautifully!
espresso
This cocktail will work the best with fresh espresso made at home and cooled. We still haven’t gotten to the place where we have an espresso machine (though we have our eyes on this one ), but when we do I can’t wait to incorporate them into drinks. As an alternative, I used cold brew coffee. I do believe the fresh espresso will be the ideal way to go, as it will offer more depth and fresh bright flavor, but it works really well with cold brew coffee also! We used Starbucks medium roast unsweetened cold brew this time around.
Seedlip nonalcoholic spirits
Seedlip is a non-alcoholic spirit company that distill herbal remedies based on remedies that used to be distilled by physicians hundreds of years ago. Named for baskets called seedlips that the owner’s family had used to collect seeds, Seedlip aims to change the way the world drinks by creating uniquely distilled natural non-alcoholic spirits. They have three blends - Spice 94, Garden 108 & Grove 42 and recommend they be served with tonic or mixed into more complex non-alcoholic cocktails such as this one. I have only tried the Grove 42 in this cocktail so far, but I think the orange flavor is undeniable and delicious when used here! Have you tried and non-alcoholic spirits? What are your favorites? How do you use them, simply with tonic or with more complex cocktails?
vanilla syrup
The vanilla syrup adds so much depth and indulgent flavor to this drink! To make this syrup, I recommend using fresh vanilla beans, but you can substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract if you don’t have beans Add one part sugar and one part water to a saucepan. Slice open a vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape out the vanilla bean seeds. Add vanilla beans and pod into the saucepan and stir.
Boil on the stove 1-2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and you’re good to go! Chill the syrup for a bit before using. This can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
how to make a cafe l’orange seed
Make the vanilla syrup and chill. Grab a rocks glass and add ice, then pour your seedlip grove non-alcoholic liquor, vanilla syrup, and espresso in and stir to combine. Next, top with sparkles of your choosing! While we used Perrier, I would recommend going with some highly carbonated sparkling water from a soda stream or a highly carbonated bottled brand such as topo chico or Q club soda. We just happened to be out of Soda Stream carbonation and Perrier did the trick!
Now, if you did want to make a version of this with alcohol, replace the Seedlip with 1.5 oz vodka and .5 oz cointreau for an absolutely delicious coffee cocktail!
So there you have it! A non-alcoholic way to brighten a long weekend morning, or a delicious way to enjoy an after dinner espresso. Let me know in the comments below if you try it! And be sure to let me by tagging kindred spirits on Instagram @ kindred.spirits.cocktails!
