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Recipe: Cake Amaro (In 30 Minutes) by James Hoffmann

I. Stage 1: Rapid Coffee Infusion and Milk Washing​

This stage extracts intense coffee flavour into the alcohol and then clarifies the liquid.

1. Coffee Infusion (5 Minutes)​

  • Base Alcohol: 200 grams of Bourbon Whiskey (recommended to use something clean, sweet, and not too expensive).
  • Coffee: 40 grams of finely ground coffee (close to espresso grind size).
  • Technique: Combine the whiskey and coffee grounds in a cream whipper. Charge it with a nitrous oxide (N2O) cartridge. Leave it to infuse for about five minutes.
  • Discharge: Release the pressure very quickly and aggressively to disrupt the grounds and aid extraction.
  • Initial Taste: The resulting liquid is described as "incredibly bitter" but full of flavour.

2. Milk Washing and Clarification​

This technique removes unwanted compounds (primarily bitterness and colour) while clarifying the liquid.

  • Process: Add the coffee-infused whiskey to about 55 grams of whole milk. This causes the milk to curdle, trapping unwanted bitter compounds.
  • Filtration: Filter the mixture, first through a simple sieve and then through a paper filter (like a V60 filter). You can gently squeeze the curdled "coffee cheese" at the top of the filter paper to speed up the process and maximise yield.
  • Result: The resulting liquid is a clarified, slightly diluted, slightly sweeter base with tons of coffee and bourbon flavour.

II. Stage 2: Botanical Infusion​

The clarified base is infused with classic Amaro botanicals using the same rapid technique.

  • Infusion Base: Approximately 150 grams of the clarified coffee liquid.
  • Botanicals (Approximate Weights):
    • Dried Bitter Orange Peel (1.5g).
    • Gentian Root (for bitterness, helps with digestion).
    • One Allspice Berry.
    • Grated Vietnamese Cassia Bark (not true cinnamon, 0.5g).
    • Grated Nutmeg (0.5g).
    • Minced Madagascan Vanilla (0.5g)
  • Technique: Put the liquid and botanicals back into the clean cream whipper, charge it, shake, discharge aggressively, charge it again, and let it rest for five minutes.
  • Final Filtration: Filter the liquid one final time through paper to remove any floating pieces of spice.

III. Finishing and Serving​

  • Sweetening: Add 60 grams of Demerara Syrup (2 parts light brown sugar to 1 part water).
  • Dilution: Add a small amount of water (e.g., 25 grams) to dilute the Amaro to about 20% ABV.
  • Serving: Serve the coffee Amaro over a large ice cube with a couple of drops of saline solution (20% salt water) and garnish with a twist of orange zest.

The final drink is described as a "really lovely drink," where the coffee is present but not overpowering, balanced by the orange, bitter gentian, and aromatic spices.