Coffee
Also called espresso, cold brew coffee, café
Brewed coffee, hot or cold, from roasted arabica or robusta beans. In the bar it is the hot base of an Irish Coffee, the cold brew in long drinks, and the fresh espresso an Espresso Martini depends on. Freshness decides everything: brew to order or cold brew and refrigerate.
- roasted
- dark chocolate
- caramel
- bright acidity in light roasts
- toasted nut
- smoke in dark roasts
- bitter finish
Origin
Legend credits the Ethiopian herder Kaldi with discovering coffee; cultivation and trade began on the Arabian Peninsula, with Yemen growing it by the 15th century and coffee houses across the region serving as social hubs. Coffee reached Europe in the 17th century and London had hundreds of coffee houses by mid century. A seedling carried to Martinique in the 1720s seeded Caribbean and Latin American plantations, and Brazil received its first seeds through Francisco de Mello Palheta. The Irish Coffee pairs it with Irish whiskey, sugar and cream.
Production and safety
Brew hot coffee fresh for each Irish Coffee; held coffee goes bitter within 20 minutes. Cold brew concentrate keeps refrigerated for about a week. Coffee contains caffeine; tell a guest who asks. Hot drinks are served in pre-warmed glassware to avoid cracking.
Allergens: None
Common uses
- irish-coffee
- Espresso Martini (fresh espresso)
- cold brew and tonic
- a coffee Old Fashioned
- Carajillo with Licor 43
Pours that use it
Sources
- The history of coffee (National Coffee Association), National Coffee Association USA · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11