Cheeky Cocktails Espresso Syrup, in Regular & Decaf
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We love this gift for people who drink decaf coffee: Cheeky Decaf Espresso Syrup. It delivers the rich, bold flavors of espresso without the caffeine kick*. Want the buzz? There’s also a regular, caffeinated, version. Espresso syrup is an easy way to make anything from: > More uses for espresso syrup. > Why there are coffee beans in an Espresso Martini and sambucca. > The history of the espresso bean as a cocktail garnish. Espresso and coffee syrups* can be used in many ways, including: Both decaf and regular are available in three sizes: The classic Espresso Martini is made with vodka and coffee liqueur, such as Kahlùa or Patron XO Café. Why not espresso liqueur? There are very few of them with good retail distribution. You have to hunt down smaller brands online. See the footnote ‡‡. However, coffee liqueurs contain caffeine. Cheeky Decaf Espresso Syrup is a solution for the caffeine-averse. To make a batch of four cocktails, see the footnote‡ below. 1. ADD the ice, espresso syrup, and vodka to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. 2. STRAIN into a Martini or Coupe glass. 3. GARNISH with 3 coffee beans for good luck. The tradition of garnishing Espresso Martinis with coffee beans can be traced back to Italy, the birthplace of espresso and a culture steeped in coffee heritage. It began in the 1950s when sambuca, an anise liqueur, became a fashionable after-dinner drink, typically served with after-dinner coffee. A garnish of three coffee beans was added to the glass of sambuca, a practice called “con la mosca” meaning “with the fly,” the coffee beans said to resemble flies in the drink. (Not the most appetizing of references!) The espresso martini was invented in the late 1980s. It was originally called the Vodka Espresso and then the Pharmaceutical Stimulant, because it the espresso component was energizing. You can eat the beans if you like—it’s a personal preference. We enjoy crunching on them. If you’d like to use chocolate-covered coffee beans, so much the better! If you need to make your own with decaffeinated espresso beans, here’s a recipe. |
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ABOUT CHEEKY COCKTAILS Cheeky’s founder, April Wachtel, was teaching cocktail classes at the Astor Center in New York City and working as a brand ambassador for Bacardi. She realized her students wanted to make bar-quality craft cocktails at home but couldn’t access some of the essential ingredients. Craft cocktail bartenders made all their ingredients from scratch, and no brand sold shelf-stable versions made with real bar recipes. citrus juices (not from concentrate and without preservatives) and standard bar syrups like simple syrup and ginger syrup. As craft cocktail programs began trending in the 1980s—started by Dale Degroff at the Rainbow Room in New York City—the “everything from scratch” model could not keep up. Mixology programs struggled with consistency, labor, cost, and speed of service. April launched a solution for consumers and professional bartenders in 2015. It evolved into Cheeky, which launched in 2020 (the first wave of COVID). The line is currently served in bars at four-star hotels, stadiums, and resorts. It ships nationally within the U.S. and Canada, and to Australia, France, Germany, and the U.K. You can find it in boutiques, gourmet grocers, and liquor stores in 44 states. Check out the Cheeky Cocktails website for all their cocktail syrups, including a nine-flavor sampler. ________________ *The caffeine in decaf: Note that any decaffeinated coffee always contains trace amounts of caffeine. Cheeky Decaf Espresso Syrup contains roughly 10mg of caffeine per ounce. By comparison, their regular Espresso Syrup has 40mg per ounce. A standard cup of coffee contains roughly 70-200mg of caffeine per cup. People who cannot consume even a tiny amount of caffeine for medical reasons should not drink this or any other decaf product. Cheeky uses Nicaraguan coffee beans by roasted Café Integral, a small batch specialty coffee roaster nearby in Brooklyn, New York. The main difference between coffee syrup and espresso syrup is that espresso syrup contains more caffeine. It can contain up to 40 mg of caffeine per ounce, while coffee syrup typically contains around 10 mg per tablespoon. Cheeky Cocktail’s regular espresso syrup has about 40mg of caffeine per ounce. The decaf option has about 10mg of caffeine per ounce. The caffeine in coffee liqueur may vary depending on the brand, but most contain minimal amounts of caffeine, usually around 10 mg per 100 ml. The caffeine in chocolate-covered coffee beans is typically, one chocolate covered coffee bean has about 12mg of caffeine source]. **Rhode Island Coffee Milk recipe: Start with two tablespoons of syrup in 8 ounces of milk. You can make it sweeter as you prefer. The drink became a staple in Rhode Island in the early 20th century. In 1993 it became the official state drink of Rhode Island [source]. While it isn’t part of the recipe, we like a garnish of whipped cream and shaved chocolate, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The sap is harvested commercially in Africa from different species of wild Acacia trees. It is harvested from Senegal to Somalia, but Sudan contributes bout 70% of the global supply. ††High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a processed sweetener made from corn starch that is linked to obesity, fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes.can be bad for your health in many ways. Most prominent is an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is because your body has to produce too much insulin to respond to the sugar in the syrup. ‡To make a batch of Espresso Martinis: Mix 4 ounces of espresso syrup & 8 ounces of vodka. Shake over ice and strain into 4 Martini or Coupe glasses with the coffee bean garnish. ‡‡Espresso, not coffee, liqueurs: Only two of these are brands we’d heard of. Some of the brands include Atomic Black Espresso Liqueur, Borghetti Caffe Espresso Liqueur, Fratelli Vincenzi Italian Espresso Liqueur, Galliano Espresso Liqueur, Grind Espresso Shot Liqueur, Independent Spirits Espresso Liqueur, J.F. Haden’s Espresso Liqueur, Luxardo Espresso Liqueur, St. Elder Natural Espresso Coffee Liqueur and Simplicity Spirits Espresso Liqueur. |
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