Hey everyone! Bar Fly here. So I've been trying some exciting new cocktails lately (more on that later in the week) and I want to talk some more about infusing. I've been playing with some things at home, with lots of advice from some of my favorite bartenders and find myself more and more intrigued with the concept of infusing.I have to admit, I have been sneering at some (read: most) of the bottled infusions available from the liquor store for years. I mean, Smirnoff Passionfruit - seriously? I had written off flavored vodkas, rum and the like as fodder for yuppie/girlie drinks, not for the serious connoisseur of "ze haute cocktail". While I have been known to order girlie drinks on occasion, I much prefer top quality spirits combined with the freshest of delicious ingredients to bottled artificial flavoring.
The point I had missed entirely was that infusion doesn't have to be that way! After trying some house infused spirits at a few of my favorite bars, I decided to try some experimentation at home.
Today's infusion, 44 Cordial, or as it's known at Town Talk Diner: Rum 44, is a tantalizing blend of coffee and orange infused into light rum. According to internet legend, the recipe supposedly originated in Madagascar although Eric at Town Talk told me it was an old pirate recipe. There is also a French version of the recipe called Quarante-Quatre (44) and uses cloves instead of coffee beans.
Once it's done, it can be served neat, over ice or any way you can think of. Try it in a traditional daiquiri, the lime and coffee are fabulous together!!
The Basics
1. Take a fresh, jucy orange and poke it 44 times with a paring knife
2. Stuff 44 coffee beans into the slits you made and put the orange in a 1L or larger jar (I used organic, fair trade French Roast, why scrimp on quality, right? Some of the beans were breaking and the coffee flavor is what I like about this cordial so I stuffed about 1/2 of them in the orange and just put the rest in the jar.)
3. Add 44 teaspoons of sugar (go for organic cane sugar if possible - I used about 1/2 of what the recipe calls for, figuring I can sweeten it more later if it needs it)
4. Let it sit for 44 days --*sigh* I have a really hard time with this part!
5. Strain and enjoy!
