Mike's Mix: Stone Fruit

Mike's Mix has moved to Saturday! Now, every Saturday Mike Augustyniak picks a new cocktail recipe from a local mixologist. This week he's tackling the Stone Fruit from Five Watt Coffee.

Stone Fruit

First, create a simple syrup by bringing to a boil a 1-to-1 ratio of water and demerara sugar (also known as "sugar in the raw")
Let it cool; it will keep for weeks in the refrigerator, and can be used to sweeten any coffee drink.

Combine in a cocktail shaker:
About 2 teaspoons of simple syrup
3 drops of cherry bark vanilla bitters from Bittercube
2 drops of black walnut bitters from Fee Brothers
Add ice.
Pour espresso over ice and shake immediately
Strain into 5.5oz Gibraltar glass over a Luxardo cherry on a cocktail pick

Taste Test

For years Italians have been cooling down and pepping up their summer days with a chilled espresso drink called a shakerato. Shaken over ice, it more closely resembles a non-alcoholic cocktail than a coffee drink — especially this version, made at Five Watt Coffee, called the Stone Fruit. Including the cherry-vanilla and walnut essence from cocktail bitters gives this already-refreshing drink a new depth of flavor. Even if espresso hot is too strong for you, consider trying this smoother cooled-down version.

About Five Watt Coffee

The owners refer to themselves as "self-declared jesters, unicorn hoarders, high-fivers and music geeks," who are "dedicated to the highest quality standards from the field all the way to the coffee bar."

Learn more at www.fivewattcoffee.com