El Duque

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Cocktail History

The El Duque is a modern cocktail that was created by Gabriel Orta and Elad Svi at Twenty-Seven Restaurant & Bar in Miami Beach, Florida. The recipe is essentially a coffee-flavored variation of the Manhattan that uses four untraditional ingredients you don’t typically see in the classic, including rum, cream sherry, cold-brew coffee, and chocolate.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with fermented sugarcane juice or molasses and yeast, which are distilled and then aged, often in charred barrels, to develop a full-bodied, caramelized flavor.

Cream Sherry: This is a type of sherry made with white grapes, water, yeast, and added sweetening such as Pedro Ximénez or concentrated grape must, which are fermented, fortified with brandy, and then aged to develop a sweet, nutty flavor.

Cold-Brew Coffee: This is a type of coffee made by steeping coarsely ground coffee beans in cold water for 12-18 hours to develop a mild, less acidic coffee flavor.

Chocolate Bitters: This is a concentrated flavoring made with chocolate, herbs, spices, botanicals, and distilled alcohol, which are macerated or steeped to develop a bittersweet, chocolate flavor.

Lemon Twist: This is the peel of a lemon that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Mixing Glass: This is used to hold the ingredients while they’re being stirred. I used the Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Julep Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is stirred. I used the A Bar Above Julep Strainer.

Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. I used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Dark brown color

• Aroma: Citrus and coffee

• Taste: Ice-cold coffee flavor mixed with sweet cream sherry and chocolate

• Finish: Distinct rum spices

Kendall’s Take: “There’s no denying that Espresso Martinis are in right now, but if you’re not one to follow trends, this is a coffee-flavored cocktail that’s much more sophisticated, in my opinion. I don’t personally drink coffee so it wasn’t my favorite drink we’ve tried recently, but I could see a frequent downer of the beverage absolutely loving the El Duque. I tried this with a friend who loves a good coffee drink, and seeing his reaction to the first sip was proof.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.