Cocktail O’Clock: The Ultimate Latte

See that cuppa in the picture? Ordinary, right? Wrong.

That’s a kicked-up latte with, hello . . . bourbon and butterscotch. Yes, if you’ve been paying attention, that’s the same post-dinner beverage offered at JG Domestic in Philly. This drink kinda brought it home for me, especially since it’s not often — okay, never have I shared a latte with 8 people. Yes, we all could have ordered our own but after a full dinner of plate after plate of food; sips were good for the time being. The operative phrase there is “time being.” So like any good recipe-jacking food-a-phile, I made a few notes to replicate the latte at home. The challenge was: could I make it as good without a fancy machine?

Guess what? It’s damn good and pretty damn close to what you will find at Jose Garces’ restaurant. The foam, which I thought would be most challenging, was not at all. So here you have it. I even included step-by-step pictures, so really you have no reason not to try this.

Bourbon Butterscotch Latte

Bourbon Butterscotch Latte

Makes one 9 oz. latte

8 oz. strong or extra bold coffee
1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. butterscotch sauce

Foam
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, cold

To make the drink:

1. Brew coffee according to your machine. Add butterscotch to coffee and mix to combine. Pour bourbon in the coffee and mix to combine. Transfer coffee to something with a spout for easy pouring. Set aside.

To make the foam

2. Place heavy whipping cream in bottom of glass and use this or the blender attachment on a hand mixer and beat cream until soft peaks form, about 1-1 ½ minutes.

Assemble

1. Tilt cup with foam at angle and pour coffee along the wall of the cup to leave the foam as undisturbed as possible. Finish with butterscotch drizzling on top.

Find more creative cocktail recipes in Endless Cocktails.