Créme de Funk: A Cold-Brew Bourbon Cocktail

Name: Créme de Funk: A Cold-Brew Bourbon Cocktail
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Gabe Sanchez , Midnight Rambler , Dallas

Photo: Dan Padgett

September 29, 2023

cold-brew bourbon cocktail Midnight Rambler

“If the Espresso Martini is the darling of TikTok, Crème de Funk is Don Quixote,” says Gabe Sanchez, drink creator for Midnight Rambler in Dallas. “It is an impractical pursuit of the brazen idealist.” This cold-brew bourbon cocktail takes about 24 hours to make because of the coffee infusion, but it’s worth the wait. Sanchez prefers using the cold-brew toddy but says it can also be made with just a jar (instructions below). “The finished cocktail—with its deep coffee flavor, heavy cream, and PX sherry backbone—is over-the-top decadent for the sole purpose of being decadent,” he adds.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. cold-brew bourbon
1/2 oz. PX sherry
3/4 oz. heavy cream
3/4 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
1 fresh egg white (pasteurized if you like) or vegan alternative
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Cold-Brew Bourbon
750 ml. bourbon
1/2 lb. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee (ground for French press)

Tools:shaker, strainer, fine-mesh strainer, cold brew toddy or 16 oz. mason jar
Glass:short highball
Garnish:whipped cream, chocolate shavings

Preparation

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker filled 3/4 full with ice and shake. Strain and dry shake. Double strain into a glass filled 3/4 full with ice. Garnish.

Cold-Brew BourbonSplit the bourbon in half (375 ml.). You will use half to brew and half after to cut the heaviness of the coffee. Add 4 oz. of coffee to the bottom of the Toddy. Slowly pour half of the coffee grounds to the Toddy in a circular motion to keep the grounds level. Add 125 ml. of bourbon slowly in a circular motion over the top of the grounds. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the second half of the coffee grounds over the top of the existing coffee/bourbon in a circular motion. Add 125 ml. of the bourbon.

Cover with plastic wrap or Toddy cover and place in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours. Pull the plug on the Toddy and strain into a glass container. Measure the cold-brew bourbon and add an equal amount of bourbon reserved to “dilute” the cold-brew bourbon. Keep in an airtight container. Will keep for 2-3 weeks.

Cold-Brew Bourbon (without Toddy)Prepare the mixture in one 32 oz. jar (or two 16 oz. jars). Add 100 ml. of bourbon to the bottom of the jar and pour a 1/2 lb. of coffee grounds to the jar in a circular motion. Then, add the remaining bourbon (275 ml.) in a circular motion over the coffee grounds. Cover the mixture and let it sit for 18 hours. Next, place 3-4 lightly moistened coffee filters into a mesh strainer, stir the coffee grounds, and slowly pour the mixture into the strainer. Check for coffee grounds and strain again if needed. Measure by volume and add whiskey to dilute.