Meep, meep.

Roadrunner.

A wee while ago we made some coffee infused bourbon and it’s such a wonderful thing that it would be a shame not to use it in some more recipes. And in our last exciting episode we talked a bit about the horse’s neck garnish. Might be nice to find another use for that too, right? Enter the Roadrunner. Based on the most superbo Boulevardier –  itself a Negroni variation – my very own Roadrunner uses our bean boosted bourbon and a long curl of thinly sliced orange peel for a extra kick of flavour. I like to serve the ‘runner on the stem simply to be a bit contrarian (horse’s necks being more often found in a long glass and Negroni relatives in a tumbler) but you could serve it in an double Old Fashioned glass with a big cube if that seems a bit racy for you. If you were a fan of the star anise infused Campari from our Red Star a few weeks back I’ve added an option of using a little of that too but be careful to get the balance right so that the anise doesn’t overpower the spice of the coffee. Very much a drink for lovers of cocktails with a bitter spicy edge, the Roadrunner could be toned down a touch by using a less bitter vermouth such as Dolin. While I didn’t have any to hand, I’ve reason to suspect that Carpano Antica might be another option (hey, coffee and vanilla anyone!) but I wouldn’t want to confuse you with too many alternatives. That’s all folks!

1,2,3,4,5,6…

Roadrunner

1.5oz / 45ml coffee infused bourbon (see here).

0.75oz / 22ml Campari*

0.75oz / 22ml Italian vermouth**

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled champagne coupé containing an orange horse’s neck cut directly over the glass.

Toast Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.

*You can use a little of your StarPari if you like. I’d go 0.5oz regular and 0.25oz anise infused.

**I use Punt e Mes but that might be too bitter for some. See text for alternatives.