Ask A Philadelphia Chef: Your Top Coffee-Based Cocktail

Philadelphia-area dining and event planning expert Renee Patrone, of Manayunk's Events by Renee & Party Host Helpers, recommended Chef Derek Davis of Derek's Restaurant, for some over-the-top coffee-based cocktail recipes. His bright, modern establishment on Main St. in Manayunk is a hot spot. Derek's, she says, is known for excellent food and drink specials including a number of creative cocktails, like these coffee-infused concoctions.

Chef Derek Davis
Derek's
4411 Main St.
Downtown Manayunk
Philadelphia, PA 19127
(215) 483-9400
www.dereksrestaurant.com

Chef Derek's restaurant has evolved, he'll tell you, into the most sophisticated dining destination on Manayunk's Main St. "Some of our guests come in regularly for our great specials, from 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' to 'Martini Thursday,'" he says, "[while others] come for a great steak and a romantic interlude." Most come for the venue's seasonally inspired cuisine that is both "comtemporary and classic at the same time." Even that most classic of beverages, like coffee, gets special attention at Derek's, where java-inspired creations go far beyond the quintessential "cup of joe."

Wake The Dead (or The Coffee Old Fashioned)

• 1 1/2 oz Lexington Bourbon whiskey
• 1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
• 1 oz espresso, chilled
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 2 dashes chocolate bitters
• 1 oz. water

Directions:

1. Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
2. Strain into old fashioned glass filled half way with ice.
3. Garnish with spent espresso grounds.

The Mind Awakener (Derek's take on the classic 'mind eraser')

• 1oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. chilled espresso
• 1/2 oz. kahlua
• Splash of club soda

Directions:

1. This drink must be layered. Start with a champagne flute filled with ice.
2. Pour vodka in first.
3. Using a spoon upside down, pour over espresso, then kahlua.
4. Be careful as you do not want the liquids to mix, you want them to float on top of each other.
5. Top with a slash of club soda.
6. Put a straw in the drink. To drink this drink it must be done in one motion through the straw.
7. Suck drink from the bottom to get the effect.

Tip from Chef Derek: First you will get the vodka, then the coffee, then the sweet kahlua and finally washed back by the club soda. Be careful, but it's definitely fun in a group.

Senor Senora Senorita

• 1 oz. Patron XO Cafe coffee liquer
• 1 oz. Patron silver tequila
• 1/2 oz chilled espresso

Directions:

1. Shake well over ice.
2. Pour into shot glass and down it!

Related: Top Spots To Get An Irish Coffee In Philadelphia

Pritchard's Punch

• 2 oz. Pritchard's chocolate bourbon
• 1 oz. strong brewed coffee or espresso
• 1 oz. Fernet Branca
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 3 dashes Fee's bitter chocolate bitters
• 1/2 tsp. cocoa nibs

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together over ice in mixing glass.
2. Stir to chill.
3. Strain into 16 oz. tumbler, preferably with large block ice cube or fresh ice.

Double Latte Martini

• 12 oz. Van Gogh double espresso vodka
• 3/4 oz. Godiva white
• 3/4 oz. Godiva dark

Directions:

1. Shake all over ice.
2. Strain into martini glass.
3. Enjoy!

Note from Chef Derek: Although there is no coffee in it, the vodka in this drink does contain caffeine. It is decadently rich and makes the perfect dessert.

Related: Top Coffee Shops For Work Or Studying In Philadelphia

Christy Ayala covers sports, recreation, the outdoors, and leisure activities in the Philadelphia area. She earned a masters degree in recreation administration from George Williams College and managed programs in the Midwest, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.