Spiked Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we love our coffee. My family is originally from Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, so it’s kind of a big deal to me. Our ritual for making coffee is a little time consuming, but when you’re dealing with the best beans grown in the world you tend to take your time to truly experience it. Unfortunately life comes at you fast and we don’t always have the time to make it fresh so I got into the habit of batch making cold brew and it’s been a lifesaver! In the mornings I just pour a glass into my lucky mug and head out the door.
It’s the weekend though, and on the weekends I like to turn it up a notch and give it an extra kick because let’s be honest, coffee and booze go together like peanut butter & jelly. You really can’t say one without thinking of the other right? And with us coming into the home stretch of pumpkin spice season we thought it would only be appropriate to bring together a few of our favorite things for one final hurrah now that Thanksgiving has wrapped up. After all, the big box stores have been shoving it down your throat since August…AUGUST! But we promise this will be it from us as we’ll officially be packing up the pumpkin spice for the season, but we can’t make the same promises for Starbucks and Trader Joe’s.
For this recipe you can make cold brew the traditional way (below), the Ethiopian way, or if you want to cut out that step feel free to pick your favorite store bought brand (We love Stoked). If cold brew isn’t your thing, feel free to adjust the recipe to hot coffee, especially those of you experiencing the real “winter” right now while we’re still toasty down in Florida.
Spiked Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew
- 4 oz Cold Brew coffee (Recipe Below)
- 2 oz Spiced Rum
- 2 oz Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (Frozen in ice cubes or used as is)
- 4 oz Marshmallow Topping (For creamer)
- 2 oz RumChata
Fill a mason jar with ice. If you choose to, freeze your pumpkin spice syrup in ice cubes a few hours in advance and star with those. In your jar, combine your cold brew, spiced rum (plus syrup if you didn’t freeze it first) leaving just about an inch of room at the top. Float your RumChata creamer on top and serve.
RumChata Cream Topping
- 4 oz Marshmallow topping
- 2 oz RumChata
Mix ingredients in a small bowl or cup until fully mixed together. This will be your cold brew cream topping.
Cold Brew Coffee (Makes 2 quarts)
- 8 ounces whole coffee beans
- 8 cups (2 quarts) water, preferably filtered
- Coffee grinder
- 2 (3-quart) jars or pitchers with lids
- Cheesecloth
- Rubber band
Grind the coffee beans into a coarse grind. Combine the ground coffee and water in the 3-quart jar. Next stir the coffee with the water until well blended. The coffee will float to the top as it sits, but that’s ok. Steep the coffee overnight in the fridge. Cover and refrigerate the cold brew for at least 18 hours or up to 24 hours. Strain the coffee concentrate. Line a small fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a large measuring cup. Slowly pour the coffee concentrate through the strainer. Depending on the size of your strainer, you may need to strain the coffee in batches. Do not squeeze or press the coffee grounds in the cheesecloth. Transfer to the cold brew to a clean jar for longer-term storage. Once strained, transfer the coffee to a clean, airtight jar for long-term storage. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Undiluted, the cold brew will last for up to 2 weeks while diluted cold brew lasts 2-3 days refrigerated.
Cheers,
Alex
Disclaimer: RumChata sample provided courtesy of the brand, opinions are 100% mine.
