Cocktail of the Week: The Dark Arts ‘Pina Colatte’
Coffee and pineapple? It sounds odd — but this innovative rum-infused cocktail is the pick-me-up you never knew you needed…
Words: Phoebe Hunt
“I created this cocktail as an alternative to a Bloody Mary,” says Jamie Strachan, Head of Coffee at Dark Arts in Hackney. “It’s something alcoholic that can be drank in the morning as a hangover cure. The coffee and coconut milk soften the blow of the run for that pre-12pm sip.”
Not that we’d usually advocate morning boozing, but there’s something genuinely, gloriously, drinkably decadent about spiking your morning cold brew with a touch of rejuvenative rum. Think of this cocktail as something between a Pina Colada and an Espresso Martini: a sweet, creamy mix that goes down so well we can’t believe no one’s ever thought of it before.
"I created this cocktail as an alternative to a Bloody Mary..."
It’s a cocktail, Strachan reveals, that requires a little forward planning. But, once you’ve made the burnt pineapple sugar, it’ll keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge (and is also delicious drizzled over vanilla ice cream).
For the rum element, feel free to reach for a more unusual bottle — something like Cornish Mainbrace or East London Liquor Company’s Demerara Rum. The number of rum companies in the UK has quadrupled since 2009, so you’ve now got over 200 British rum brands to choose from. Otherwise, Santa Teresa 1796 is a hand-crafted Venezuelan aged rum that makes for a truly traditional option.
How to make the Dark Arts ‘Pina Colatte’
Ingredients:
- 120ml cold brew coffee
- 80ml coconut milk
- 30ml white rum
- Burnt pineapple syrup
- 500g Sugar
- 1 Pineapple
Method:
- Make a simple syrup by filling a pan with 500ml of water and adding sugar.
- Put the pan on a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Then, carefully bring the mixture to the boil for one minute and take off the heat.
- Cut the pineapple into disks about 2cm thick, keeping the rind on, and grill or barbecue on a high heat for roughly 5 minutes on each side.
- Take the pineapple off the heat, cut off the rind and cut the disks into small triangles.
- Soak the pineapple in the simple syrup for 24 hours to infuse.
- When you’re ready to make your cocktail, fill a large glass with ice.
- Add all the ingredients and 30ml pineapple sugar then stir together to combine.
Want more cocktail recipes? Here’s how to make Splendido Mare’s Oro Della Liguria…
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