Impress your guests with these beautiful, layered holiday dessert drinks, great served with coffee or espresso. My tips in this post will help you pour perfectly pretty drinks every time.
Download the recipes fast by clicking here for a PDF or read my entire post by scrolling down or hitting this (read more) link.
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| Get all 3 Dessert Shooters Recipes by clicking here. |
A Note from Cleo
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Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
Coffee and crime, my favorite subjects, are the subjects of today’s post (well, sort of). The coffee involved is coffee liqueur. As for the crime, it involves shooters.
No guns, no bullets, no big bang...but today’s shooters do involve a crime, at least according to serious drinkers.
No guns, no bullets, no big bang...but today’s shooters do involve a crime, at least according to serious drinkers.
You see, a shooter drink implies one should SHOOT the thing back in one giant gulp. The problem? I’m a cheap drunk. When I shoot drinks, I end up under the table. Consequently, I SIP my shooters, so don't be ashamed if you do, too. Honestly, I grew up watching most adult members of my family sip from their shot glasses. In my father’s Italian-American household, the alcohol was usually anisette, Sambuca, or Amaretto, and the drinks enjoyed with coffee or espresso. I continue the custom in my own house, but I’ve expanded the menu—lately with drinks inspired by my writing in the Coffeehouse Mysteries.
And so I give you a few of my favorite digestifs. Whether you shoot them or stir them and sip them, I sincerely hope you will…
Drink with joy,
~ Cleo
🍹
TIP: The reason drinks can be layered is Science 101. Certain liquids are heavier in density than others, and a bartender can float the lighter beverages on top of the heavier ones.
My first layered drink recipe is one I created for my 13th Coffeehouse Mystery: Billionaire Blend. The drink is, of course, based on the traditional Orgasm shooter.
Hazelnut is a popular flavor in coffeehouse culture, and I married it to coffee liqueur with a splash of hazelnut milk for amazing results. If you can’t find hazelnut milk, almond milk is a good substitute.
TIP: Because nut milks are thin and light, they
make fantastic and flavorful toppings to layered shots.
make fantastic and flavorful toppings to layered shots.
TIP: For the home bartender, a measured
shot glass helps with accuracy. If you're not sure
where to purchase, click here to see one of
many you can buy online.
shot glass helps with accuracy. If you're not sure
where to purchase, click here to see one of
many you can buy online.
(Layered Shooter)
Makes 1 serving
TIP: Use a tall shot glass to really show off your layers.
Ingredients: Coffee Liqueur (such as Kahlua); Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur); Hazelnut Milk; Whipped Cream; stick of cinnamon or Mexican canela
Method: Fill 1/3rd of your shot glass with Kahlua (1/2 ounce).
TIP: Place a chilled spoon face down into the glass at an angle. The tip of the spoon should lightly touch the opposite side of the glass. This spoon will diffuse the pouring of the next liquid, reducing the impact and impeding mixing.
Slowly pour the Frangelico (1/2 ounce) over the top of the chilled spoon. Wait for the Frangelico to settle. Using the same method, slowly pour the Hazelnut Milk (1/2 ounce) over the spoon and into the glass. Wait for the layers to settle, add a spot of whipped cream at the top, and serve with a stick of cinnamon or Mexican canela for the drinker’s option to stir and sip (rather than shoot).
*Variation: Almond Orgasm - replace the hazelnut milk with almond milk and the Frangelico with Amaretto.
To watch my short, little how-to video,
click the white arrow in the image below...
Hazelnut Orgasm Shooter
ready to be served with
a cup of coffee or espresso...
ready to be served with
a cup of coffee or espresso...
For a free PDF showing you
how to make your own
Chocolate Covered
Cinnamon Sticks,
click here.
how to make your own
Chocolate Covered
Cinnamon Sticks,
click here.
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| Click here for the Free Recipe PDF. |
🍹
Traditional Orgasm Shooter
Traditional Orgasm Shooter
Traditional Orgasm Shooter
(Layered)
Makes 1 serving
Here is the traditional drink recipe on which we based our Hazelnut Orgasm. This shooter can be mixed up in a cocktail shaker with ice and strained into the shot glass, or poured in layers right into your glass. Marc and I prefer those pretty layers, which is why we serve the drink in a tall shot glass with a stick of cinnamon or Mexican canela on the side for stirring. Thus, this drink can be "shot" in one gulp or stirred and slowly sipped. ~ Cleo
Ingredients: Coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua); Amaretto; Irish cream (such as Baileys)
Method: Fill one-third of your shot glass with Kahlua (1/2 ounce). Place a chilled spoon down into the glass at an angle. The tip of the spoon should lightly touch the opposite side of the glass. Slowly pour the Amaretto (1/2 ounce) over the top of the chilled spoon, allowing it to trickle into the drink. Wait for the Amaretto to settle. Using the same method, slowly pour the Irish Cream (1/2 ounce) over the spoon and into the drink. (Top it off if you like with extra Irish cream.) Wait for the layers to settle and serve.
*Variation – Add vodka to the top, in equal measure, and you’ve got a Screaming Orgasm.
TIP: The spoon method, which we use, is only one way to slow the pour in a layered drink. To see a bartender's "thumb method," watch this video on YouTube by clicking here.
🍹
Cleo Coyle’s Cloudy Dream (Almond)
Cloudy Dream (Almond)
This is another beautiful layered "sipping shooter" we created for our bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery: Billionaire Blend. An "M&M" shooter uses Kahlua and Amaretto, but not whipped cream or this layering method. As far as we know, our "Cloudy Dream" is a new invention. ~ Cleo
Ingredients: Coffee Liqueur (such as Kahlua); Whipped Cream (from an aerosol canister or pastry bag); Amaretto; Stick of cinnamon or canela
Method: Fill one-third of a tall shot glass with Kahlua (1/2 ounce). Add whipped cream to the shot glass using an aerosol canister. Do not fill to the top. You must leave some space because the next addition will float the whipped cream higher. (If using homemade whipped cream, use a pastry bag.) Slowly pour 1/2 ounce Amaretto over the top of the whipped cream. Wait for the Amaretto to settle and serve. The drinker can sip the layers of alcohol through the cream or use a stick of cinnamon to stir up the ingredients before drinking.
*Variation: Cloudy Dream (Hazelnut) – substitute Frangelico for the Amaretto and you have the hazelnut version.
Click the arrow in the window
below to see my little video
on how to pour a Cloudy Dream, and...
below to see my little video
on how to pour a Cloudy Dream, and...
To download the above drink recipes
in a free PDF format that you
can print, save, or share, click here.
in a free PDF format that you
can print, save, or share, click here.
 |
| Click for the free Recipe PDF |
Eat (and read) with joy!
