Espresso Cubes

Got this idea from an unknown cocktail with a brown looking ice cube floating in it that I came across on a website and thought to myself… What if that ice cube were made of espresso ! To the bat mobile ! (or cafe… or… laundry that houses coffee machine).

About 20 shots of espresso later, and having perfected my technique using some of Ben’s excellent (20 day old and still kicking) barista competition blend… I now had an ice cube tray full of espresso. I think the results speak for themself.

Espresso Cube

Espresso Cube

Espresso Cube Cocktail

Espresso Cube

Look into my eyes

So to make an actual tasty drink out of these creations/abominations, I naturally did what any espresso loving alco would. Head to the liquour cabinet and throw in as many complimentary flavours as I could find. Kahlua was out as I already had the coffee covered. Pernod was played around with and then discarded as the aniseed was a little too over powering while the espresso was still frozen. In the end… and half drunk later… The conclusion was:

  • 1 Espresso Cube (or heart, and no you cannot substitute with instant coffee, this is an elitist cocktail)
  • 1 shot baileys
  • 1/2 shot contrieau
  • 2 shots of milk

Swirl, Sip, Savour :)

11 thoughts on “Espresso Cubes”

  1. Wow! these are fantastic! I had espresso granita in Rome and this looks like a much cuter version. Kind of like an inverted affoagto. Frangelico or amaretto would go down nicely as well…

  2. Oh my, that looks like it could turn into my fave cocktail, am going to head out & buy some fancy ice cube trays & make these up for my birthday celebrations this weekend – Thks!!!

  3. Wow, these look fantastic, all of my favourite flavours together in what sounds like a divine cocktail – I am making these for sure for my birthday celebrations this weekend!

  4. Rebecca: Espreso Granita would go down well too, although the espresso cubes have a consistency unlike ice… It’s still got a creamy, soft kind of consistency despite being frozen which is really nice.

    I have some frangelico… no amaretto… but with a whole tray of cubes left, there is much experimenting to be done :)

    Ange: You must have been so excited you commented twice… Or else you have a really short memory :) Happy Birthday for the weekend, hope it goes great, and that these little cocktails go down well. Anytime anyone makes my stuff I get a real buzz. My male ego is predictable :)

  5. this is perhaps one of the cutest, delightful, “must-try” items i’ve seen lately (and trust me, i read a LOT of foodblogs)! Fantastic post and blog!

  6. Why thanks amanda…You are too kind, I was going for retro chic / nuevo cucina funky… but cute and delightful is good too :)

    Thanks for stopping by.
    Matt

  7. I ma glad someone dragged this post back from obscurity as it is one that I had missed. I am going to try this with both Espresso and Cold Process Coffee – the CP is remarkable as a cocktail base but I have not tried frozen espresso before and I reckon it could work very well.

  8. I think they melt a bit slower than ice cubes do… and are sort of sticky as they turn back into liquid form. Pretty nice actually. I’d make some more but it’s getting a bit cold for iced coffee in these parts.

    Grendel… hadn’t come across the Cold Process method… and interesting that searching for it lead straight back to CoffeeSnobs :) Sounds like a lot of work for cold coffee… but could be worthwhile for these kind of applications. Let me know if you do try it.

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