Q: Is it appropriate to serve coffee at a cocktail party?
-Surya V., Brooklyn
A: By all means...in fact, use it as an opportunity to create specialty coffee drinks. The usual liqueur suspects are Irish Creams, coffee flavored liqueurs and hazelnut liqueurs...but an unexpected take would be to incorporate flavors that aren't always top of mind. Here are a few suggestions:
Amarula-a South African produced liqueur derived from the fruit of the marula tree...the flavor is very sweet with hints of caramel and its consistency is similar to a standard Irish cream. I first experienced Amarula about a decade ago after my in-laws returned from a South African get-away with a full case. I've been hooked ever since.
Crème de menthe-One would assume that crème de menthe would be an extremely popular mix, the fact is, people often associate and limit this mint flavored liqueur to the Christmas holidays. Crème de menthe, in it's clear form, is a wonderful addition to warm and cold coffee drinks anytime of the year.
Dark rum & honey-I smile when I think of this combination because it conjures up fond memories of the Dominican Republic. As the core ingredients of the popular Dominican drink Mama Juana, one part rum to two parts honey mixes wonderfully with most warm cocktails...it's also rumored to have an aphrodisiacal effect.
Cocoa/chocolate liqueur-I'm in love with a specific brand of chocolate liqueur (from a world renown chocolatier...think brown & gold packaging, multiple retail locations, a horse as part of it's logo...you get it). Chocolate liqueur is wonderful on it's own or mixed in hot or cold coffee drinks. Another option would be to combine two parts coffee with one part drinking chocolate (think, warmed, melted chocolate with little to no combined liquid).
Dulce de Leche Liqueur-Made from Caribbean rum, caramel and cream, this flavor combination is a natural pairing for coffee.
Additional considerations:
Coffee-Double roasted French or full Vienna...or to experience something new, Sidama coffee from Ethiopia (the birthplace of coffee)
Toppings-Whipped cream, dark powdered cocoa, cinnamon, powdered vanilla
Helpful Tidbit-One pound of coffee serves an average of 70 cups
