Competition Signature Drinks

[kingseven]

Its time to start working on them for me. What are the best ones people here have seen/tasted. Looking both for ideas and to avoid things that have been done in the past.


Jim

[phil]

Never seen or tasted one. Would it be some sort of concoction with milk and other stuff spoiling the taste of the coffee?

Sorry mate. Looking forward to seeing you create one though!

[Raf]

Maybe you should stear clear from the usual chocolate/liquor/sugary things and experiment with something really wild and salt: seafood (North Sea shrimps or chilled coffee-crabcocktail?), or vegetables or - surprise! - something bitter like endives (the white Belgian stuff I mean, we call it witloof) that you make into a sorbet somehow and then soften with a nice sweet shot of espresso? Just storming the brain, you know.

[phil]

You've definitely had a brainstorm Neku. Witloof! You know my views on that stuff!

Actually, as an aside to Kingseven he may not be asking the best bunch of folks about this as most of us are coffee purists (snobs?). Well, I speak for myself anyway.

However, maybe someone like Carolyn or Trevor may know about this sort of thing?

[Raf]

Witlof is great. You just haven't had it correctly prepared, Phil. Next time you visit!

[kingseven]

The problem you face with espresso is that it exposes any bitterness in foods. Strawberries are sweet to taste, but add coffee and all you will get is the acidic bite coming through. This is why you tend to combine coffee with milk/sugar/cream etc etc.

I've been experimenting off at the weird end of things (I now know a little too much about coffee's chemistry) but ultimately in competition it has to be a tasty, clever drink smoothly executed.

Its hard....

[Steve]

Well if you need any one to try them stick um in the post

[alans]

What's the rules, is there anything you can't add? I've never really seen the point of sig drinks as a test of barista ability, what weighting are they given?

How about this:
Take 250g of fresh (just to the start of second crack) roasted single origin from your roaster
Put it is a jar to degass with 5 whole fresh Star Anise pods
Leave it degassing for 3 days
Remove star anise
Grind coffee and serve as an espresso with a swirl of sweetened cream

So basically just an espresso con pana made with beans that have absorbed a bit of the anise flavour, with a bit of sweetness in the cream.

But I fear I'm missing the point!

[Raf]

I think the sig drink is a good way to see how well a barista understands coffee and its taste. You can judge a cook by how well he cooks a steak, but in a competition of top chefs, you would expect all of them to cook the steak just right. Finding a new, exciting recipe featuring that good old steak though, requires real mastery and an intuitive feeling for flavours that separates the real artist from the artisan.

[kingseven]

The rules basically say that you have to use espresso, and that you must make 4 identical drinks, along with the 4 espressos and 4 cappuccini, in 15 minutes. I've seen some crazy stuff done - but talking to winners and judges its more about producing a good tasty drink, and you are judged on the drink and your style in creating it....

[flozza]

Neku, I think im stuffed then as a barista my business back in Australia has a signature drink called the espresso thickshake...
There is a chapter dedicated to strange things you can make with coffee, I think its Timothy Castle's A PERFECT CUP. (but please dont quote me on that) otherwise its by Kevin Knox?!

[phil]

It's Timothy Castle - I checked on Amazon.

Phil

[flozza]

I think the one i left in Aus?!

[Sunnyfield]

Daring combination: liquorice and coffee;
Daft but nice: lemongrass or almonds?

PS Witlof = chicory