The Keoke Espresso is a type of drinks that I obtained a variety of orders for again within the late 90s and early 2000s once I was first beginning out making cocktails. And I by no means actually gave it a lot thought again then, as a result of it appeared like there have been 100 espresso drinks that every one appeared similar to me on the time; The Keoke Espresso, the Irish Espresso, the Espresso Nudge, Mexican Espresso, and the Spanish Espresso. To not point out all of the cocktails that grew to become extensions of themselves for those who needed so as to add espresso to them; B-52s, BFKs, Brandy Separators, and numerous others I’ve forgotten. Actually, the working joke again then was that you simply didn’t actually need to know the recipe, as a result of all you needed to do with any of them was pour a bunch of liqueurs right into a glass and add espresso and whipped cream.

It labored, like 99 p.c of the time. I’m not kidding.

However the Keoke circled again into my area of view final month when one among my good buddies, Mark Wheaton, who was a bartender for over 40 years across the West Coast got here in and requested if I knew find out how to make a Keoke Espresso. And after an extended dialog concerning the drink’s West Coast origins, I knew it could be an ideal addition to our menu at Pacific Commonplace.

The Keoke Espresso falls into that period the place it’s not sufficiently old to garner respect from cocktail historians (I couldn’t discover an entry within the glorious Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails) and never younger sufficient to have a reputable paper path concerning its historical past. However right here’s what I used to be capable of dig up on the web:

Created someday round 1967 by bartender/proprietor George Bullington at Bully’s Prime Rib (now closed) in Del Mar, California – simply north of San Diego, the Keoke Espresso is a considerably elaborate combination of brandy, Kahlua, creme de cacao, espresso, and heavy cream. Supposedly created late one evening and dubbed (I do cringe when bartenders identify drinks after themselves) George’s Espresso, the identify was quickly after modified to the Keoke Espresso on the suggestion of a Hawaiian visitor or worker whose story appears to be misplaced to the ages.

Aspect Word – Within the drink’s lore, it’s typically stated that “Keoke” is the Hawaiian phrase for “George”, about which I can by no means not consider the Paul Rudd scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall:

Anyway. After attempting a number of recipes discovered on-line I got here to 1 conclusion: the drink is huge and may be one ingredient heavy. Most recipes referred to as for an oz. every of brandy, Kahlua, and creme de cacao, which is an enormous espresso drink. And to be fully sincere, the Kahlua felt slightly redundant in each iteration I made. So I grew to become more and more bought on simply leaving it out. And, very similar to my well-known expertise with the Amaretto Bitter all these years in the past, the drink merely wasn’t sturdy sufficient. Till some extra assist got here alongside within the type of bonded American brandy from our buddies at Heaven Hill distillery.

When you’ve obtained a robust, appropriate brandy in place, the remaining was simple. I skipped the Kahlua, however added a teaspoon of our home brown sugar syrup and a few floor cinnamon to duplicate a few of that sweetness, molasses, and spice. What ended up on our menu is a Keoke Espresso that could be a research in contrasts: it’s less complicated than the unique, but extra advanced. Take it for a spin and let me know what you suppose.