Enjoyed: Sunday, December 5, 2021

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Coffee Old Fashioned” 

Ingredients: Bourbon, Simple Syrup,  and Peychaud’s Bitters with a Double Shot of Espresso

The occasion: This was day three of our December Get-Away. Our dear friends recommended the coffee and breakfast items at this cafe, near our hotel in the Woodley Park neighborhood. The “locals” were there for brunch, obviously, and we were delighted to join them.

My rating: **** out of 5. I have had an Old Fashioned made with coffee liqueur, but never with freshly-made espresso, so I was eager to try this alongside my lemon-blueberry-cream cheese French toast. I love strong black coffee and I love bourbon, and happily, the rich flavors of each worked well together. This is definitely a “brunch” cocktail, however, and I would not choose it as a pre-dinner drink.

Final thoughts: So if the espresso is a stimulant and the bourbon a depressant, do these ingredients cancel each other out? Should I have a buzz of any sort? After a weekend away, I can say that I was indeed feeling fine.