Drinks

Cafe Royale

January 18, 2019 by Jennifer

It’s been really cold and rainy here the past few days. I live in Los Angeles where it’s usually pretty warm, so I’m not used to all this cold weather. Since I’m not used to the cold weather, I’m not prepared for it either. See, I don’t have a lot of sweaters, and all I’ve wanted the past few days is a heavy sweater. Something warm I can wrap around myself and snuggle up in. So, because I’m low on sweaters I’ve been looking for other alternatives to keep me warm.

I’ve been cranking up my space heater full blast, making plenty of soups and stews and a lot of grilled cheese. I’ve also been making several hot drinks. Most of the time it’s tea and hot chocolate. But on occasion, toward the end of the day, I’ll whip up a Hot Buttered Rum or some coffee with Bailey’s. While my first choice is always something chocolatey, I’ll never turn down a cup of coffee. As long as there’s a little cream and sugar, I’ll drink as many cups as I can get, especially if there’s a big dollop of foamy, steamed milk on top. So, you can understand why today’s cocktail intrigued me.

See, today’s cocktail is coffee-based. As I mentioned I like coffee drinks. I like the flavor. There’s just something about it that makes my heart smile. It’s absolutely delicious! While I tend to drink coffee all by itself, I don’t mind adding a little extra something… hence the Bailey’s. But this drink doesn’t use Bailey’s because Bailey’s wasn’t invented until November of 1974, and this drink is from 1930.

I found the drink in one of my new favorite cocktail tomes: Shake ‘Em Up! by Virginia Elliott & Phil D. Strong. It’s a classic cocktail book that was written by Elliott when women weren’t writing cocktail books. See, during the height of Prohibition, the popular drinking books came from men like Harry Craddock and Jerry Thomas. But women liked to drink just as much as men back in those days. While most men got their liquor in speakeasies, women were enjoying their drinks in the quiet of their own homes or at friend’s parties. It’s for that reason Elliott put this book together. She wanted to teach other women how to shake up a drink whether it was for themselves, an afternoon tea party or a fancy soireé.

I found this drink in the chapter entitled “Cold Weather Drinks”. Elliott wrote that the cocktails found in this chapter were great for imbibing “after a day of hunting, fishing, skating, skiing, tobogganing or shopping in the rain.” It was that last part that got me. Like I said, it’s been raining here non-stop. And while I haven’t been out shopping, the fact that it’s been a constant downpour means I can’t think of a better time to enjoy a Café Royale. It won’t only be delicious, it’ll warm me right up. And these days, I need a lot of warming up.