The cream of cocktails… with cream

“Bailey’s coffee” is good, but we’re not going to drink that all year round! What to do with all these new Quebec cream drinks? Kate Boushel, Director of Beverage and Education for the Barroco Group, offers us the most unexpected cocktails.

Eve Dumas
The Press

There are around fifteen new alcoholic creams from local distillers. The classic maple drinks Sortilège and Coureur des bois now have milk companions on the shelves, whether flavored with fudge (Saint-Crème), vanilla (Cremaglace, Artist in Residence), chocolate (Cremaglace Lait au chocolat, Choco Crème), crème brûlée (Aléa and Aléa Végane), coffee (Pudding Stone), almond (Miele Crème) or other.

Behind the Milky Way bar (the name was predestined!), Kate Boushel does not hold a crowd of cream drinks. The majority of bartenders still raise their noses a little on these rich and sweet products, which recall the good old days of shooters B-52 or Irish coffees brimming with whipped cream.

That said, the beverage director for the Barroco Group (Foiegwa, Atwater Cocktail Club, etc.) accepted the challenge of demonstrating the amazing versatility of the great Bailey’s derivatives. She has prepared three cocktails — “all a little beige,” she apologizes — which are surprisingly light, even refreshing, as is the case with the revisited pina colada she offers.

Brandy Alexander

This classic dessert cocktail is revisited for today’s tastes. The Cremaglace Choco replaces both the cocoa liquor and the (whipped) cream of the original recipe. The milk lightens, and the nut liqueur adds complexity while pairing perfectly with the brandy.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz (45 ml) Spanish brandy
• 1 oz (30 ml) Choco Cremaglace or Choco Crème de Chocolats Favoris
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) walnut liqueur (such as Henri G, black walnut, from La Chaufferie)
• 1/2 oz (15ml) milk

Preperation

• 1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
• 2. Pour through a fine sieve into a cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

shing a ling

Who says cream liqueur does not automatically say tropical. Here is a nice mix of local traditions and a great classic: the pina colada.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) Canadian rye (rye whiskey)
• 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) Stone O’Dwyer Pudding
• 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) mashed or creamed coconut
• 1 oz (30 ml) pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) five-spice and coffee syrup* (see recipe below)

Preperation

• 1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
• 2. Serve over regular or crushed ice in a cocktail glass reminiscent of summer. Garnish with fresh or dehydrated pineapple with coffee beans or other spices of your choice.

* Five spice syrup and coffee

Ingredients

• 500ml filter coffee
• 1 large crushed cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1/4 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp. tsp crushed Sichuan pepper
• 2 cups brown sugar

Preperation

• 1. Prepare 500 ml of filter coffee to taste.
• 2. Add the other ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved.
• 3. Let the spices infuse for 30 minutes.
• 4. Strain through a fine sieve. Keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Channel crossing

This hot cocktail is a marriage of neo-classic English Channel (Grand Marnier, Benedictine and cold Earl Gray tea) and London Fog, which can be ordered in most cafes. The Aléa Végane “cream” is made from soy and coconut milk. It contains less than 1% fat, just like the “classic” version of Aléa, made with buttermilk from the Chagnon dairy.

Ingredients

• 1 oz (30 ml) Aléa Végane
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) orange liqueur
• 1/2 oz (15 ml) DOM Bénédictine herbal liqueur
• 4 oz (120 ml) Earl Gray tea
• 2 oz (60 ml) oat milk (or other plant-based milk)
• 1 large fresh orange zest

Preperation

• 1. Infuse 1 cup of hot water with 1 bag of Earl Gray tea for 5 minutes.
• 2. In a coffee or tea cup, pour the Aléa Végane cream liqueur, the orange liqueur, the Bénédictine and 120 ml of the tea.
• 3. Froth the oat milk. Pour into the cup so as to keep the foam on top. Squeeze an orange zest over the mousse so that it receives only the oils. Garnish with edible dried flowers, if available.