Frozen Siberian

Less is more. In this section there will be enough information to make the cocktail featured in Lit Spirits, plus related tips, and little else. I can’t do exhaustive because it is exhausting, not just for me, but for you. My goal: to get you to make and enjoy a cocktail. If you want to learn more, email me or research further. Please drink responsibly, and, whenever possible, in good company. Cheers. 

Notes: 

This is the last frozen cocktail I hope to do in this venue. I do not claim to be an expert on blending, nor do I wish to be.

Instead of just including the cream in the blender I opt for technique that is both more visually striking and offers a great sensual experience. Visually I am covering the murky depths with a snow-white layer of fat. It's a nice metaphor for snow. But to drink it... the unbroken tundra of cream coats the mouth, almost overwhelming it. But then the ice, the vodka, and the coffee liqueur break through and offer their own relief from the onslaught. Remember: use cream because drinking is a vice and should be enjoyed full throttle on the taste front, don't cheat yourself of the experience.

Ingredients:

• Vodka: colorless, odorless, flavorless. Even as I hope this is the last time I will use a blender for these posts, so, too, will I enjoy putting the vodka back on the shelf. As a cultural phenomenon I have nothing against vodka, but as an ingredient in cocktails it is something of a place holder, bringing nothing to the flavor party. And as any good host knows, if a guest doesn't add to the party, the guest doesn't come back. Full disclosure: I created this recipe and I am railing against vodka's inclusion. Let the contradictions begin!
• Coffee Liqueur: A rum based liqueur with coffee and sugar added. Now for all the vodka drinkers out there: You are drinking rum anyway, why not use it as the base spirit and add something more to this drink.
• Cream: Use heavy whipping cream, not half & half, not whole milk. The fat is required to get and hold the air in there.

Recipe:

1 oz vodka

1 oz coffee liqueur

top with half-whipped cream

1. Whip cold cream with whisk until bubbles form and some volume and thickness overtakes the cream. Not so much whipping that whipped cream more suitable for a piece of pie is made.
2. In blender combine coffee liqueur and vodka.
3. Contrary to the conventional wisdom running these days through the bar world, bigger is not always better. Large, solid ice cubes are unnecessarily hard on the blender. You can use the 'crushed' ice setting on your freezer if you've got it, you can put the ice in a fabric bag and pummel it with a rolling pin, or you can just work your blender hard. Fill the blender with (broken) ice until 3/4" above the liquor line.
4. Blend at high speed until ice is broken to slushy size.
5. Fill glass 2/3's full with vodka-coffee base.
6. Using the back of a spoon to retard the cream's flow, pour a layer of cream on top of the cocktail.

Garnish: 

Glassware: Use a glass that affords you a wide surface for a better ratio of cream to cocktail underneath, eg a martini glass.