Why cold brew is the secret to awesome coffee cocktails

The coffee cocktail revolution, in particular, the Espresso Martini rise to dominance, has been one that drinkers from the casual to the elite have embraced with open arms and poised lips.

The quality of coffee products in Australia means that our capacity and production methods are second to none. When the Australian people demand the best, that’s what they are given. We all know that it only takes one bad coffee from a local hotspot for a loyal customer to bounce two shops down the road and be lost forever.

This demand for quality traverses across the plain from hot coffees at the local right through to Espresso Martinis live shaken, to the now emerging trend of pre-batch boutique Espresso Martinis on tap.

In the cocktail industry, the same rules apply to the regular coffee trade - premium or bust. Unfortunately, we are seeing many high-end bars using bulk-batched espresso as a time and money saving alternative to premium cold brew.

Even espresso shots for cocktails can be detrimental to a bar’s reputation. For starters, can all mixologists be called baristas? 

To Onyx Coffee Spirits bartenders, licensees and bar owners the answer is simple - cold brew. To everyone else - we just need to show them the light.

There are some key processes to keep in mind when choosing which cold brew to use in your Espresso Martini.

Without divulging too many of our secrets, here are some of the best ways for delivering a world-class coffee product that will empower bartenders to deliver the best coffee cocktails:

The beans

Seems obvious, beans are integral to any coffee! But cold brew coffee needs the right bean blends to complement the cold brew process.

We’ve gathered beans from Brazil, India, and Ethiopia to provide a full-bodied, low in acid, smooth, rich finish. The beans flavors are also activated to their full potential via the cold brew process.

The roast

You need world-class roasting and you need to investigate what facilities are used in this process.

We’ve partnered with a specialist roaster to ensure we hit international benchmark standards. The attention to detail is second to none.

The grind

You may think it’s nerding out. But the particle size is so important!

A uniform grind delivers consistency and our cooling fan ensures the ground coffee beans are under minimal heat while under peak demand, preserving optimal flavors.

The brewing process

The cold water extraction process is the money shot. This requires practice and once perfected, allows the retention of coffee oils and a sweet and full-bodied character.

The cold brewing process is superior because it leaves behind unwanted bitter flavors and fatty acids, generally found with hot water extraction. This results in consistently perfect, smooth, 100 per cent pure coffee. 

The secret ingredient

The filtration process and accompanying technique can be the difference between a good cold brew and one that lays the foundation for award-winning cocktails.

We use a new-wave filtering technique that gives our cold brew a pristine clarity, without removing the flavors. To top it off, we store all our cold brews in an oxygen-free and temperature-controlled environment to lock in our trademark flavors.

Wherever you may be around the world, we highly advise you take the time to seek out the best cold brew products you have at your disposal.

This isn’t just for the sake of your own bar and the quality of your cocktail delivery. It’s to allow your coffee cocktails to meet their potential and aid in the next chapter of the coffee cocktail revolution - you don’t want to get left behind! 

Learn more about coffee with our espresso terminology lesson, start now! 

Mitch Faulkner is the co-founder of Onyx Coffee Spirits, an award-wining coffee lab and spirits distillery under the one roof on the Central Coast, NSW, Australia. Mitch has 10+ years in the coffee and spirits game and is a two-time Australian coffee cocktail champion and author of bestselling book, Barista Coffee.

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