Let’s get the coffee community together with Midnight Oil, from Climpson & Sons
When United Baristas plans an event, the first thing we do is organise the drinks
Midnight Oil is a staple in our drinks cabinet thanks to its coffee-forward flavour. Made from coffee grown at the Daterra Estate, Brazil, the team at Climpson & Sons carefully add cacao and vanilla to create a coffee liqueur that’s both suitable for classic coffee cocktails – or dare to create your own serve.
Looking for drinks inspiration?
We first discovered Midnight Oil while developing Christmas cocktails in collaboration with a leading bartender and the UK Brewer’s Cup champion. It’s flavour profile and multiple uses were a starting point for a wide-variety of drinks.
Here’s four favourite serves developed by the team at Climpson & Sons and used at United Baristas events. Follow them directly, or be inspired to add your touch to make them your own.
Cinnamon Irish Coffee
A fragrant and poetic rift on the whiskey and coffee staple, purportedly created a Foynes Port, Limerick to ease trans-Atlantic passengers woes before leaving the emerald isle. Easy to prepare, heartwarming, festive and slightly indulgent, it can also be batch prepared for easy serving at a party
Ingredients, per serve
- 25ml Midnight Oil
- 25ml Slanes Irish Whiskey, or any other Irish whiskey of your choice
- a spoon of sugar syrup
- 75ml black coffee
- Double cream (either dairy or dairy-free alternative)
- Cinnamon
- Plus, ideally white chocolate, macadamia nuts and fresh nutmeg to garnish
Method
Coffee
Brew enough coffee for a batch of drinks, using 7 grams of coffee (ideally Climpson & Son’s Baron) ground for french press in 120 ml water per serve.
Steep for eight minutes. Chat with your guests, and then return to prepare the cream just before serving.
Cinnamon Cream
In a separate mixing glass, add the double cream, a pinch of cinnamon and a small spoon of sugar syrup. Whisk until thick, but still pourable.
Serve
Decant 75ml into a mixing glass. Add a shot of whiskey, a shot of Midnight Oil and a small spoon of sugar syrup. Stir and pour into a glass.
Using a spoon, float the cinnamon cream on top of your coffee base. Garnish with white chocolate, macadamia nut and a pinch of fresh nutmeg. Serve.
Oat White Russian
A low-carbon, vegan alternative to the classic White Russian, oat milk also benefits from a creamier mouthfeel and greater sweetness. Originally created for an American diplomat in Brussels, this drink has global origins and is popular the world over, especially at the Climpson & Sons roastery.
Ingredients, per serve
- 50 ml Midnight Oil
- 25 ml East London Liquor Company Vodka, or another decent vodka of your choice
- 75 ml Oatly Creamy Oat
- 50 ml Oatly
Method
Mix enough Midnight Oil, vodka, oat cream and oat milk into a saucepan for your guests and heat on a stove top.
Or mix in a milk pitcher and stretch using an espresso machine (if you are lucky enough to have one).
Serve piping hot in the glass of your choice, garnishing with a pinch of ground coffee.
Hug From Mary
Making the most of one of most under-rated combinations, Rum and Sherry create layers of flavour with a rich mouthfeel – that’s further enhanced with the stout.
Ingredients, per serve
- 35 ml Dark Rum, such as Appleton Estate
- 15 ml Pedro Ximenez Sherry
- 14 ml Midnight Oil
- 13 ml Five Points Stout, or similar
Method
Add ice to a cocktail shaker, with the rum, sherry, Midnight Oil and stout. Shake. Strain into a flute. Serve into a flute.
Midnight Oil Negroni
One of the most popular cocktails in warmer weather, and a staple a Climpson’s Arch parties, this is a rift on the classic that is distinct and easy to prepare. When hosting a party, we make it in advance in bulk, chill in the fridge, and then serve.
Ingredients, per serve
- 10 ml Midnight Oil
- 30 ml ELLC Gin
- 20 ml Campari
- 20 ml Rosso Vermouth
Method
Fill a tumbler with ice, add all ingredients, stir until cool.
Or, add all ingredients into a pitcher scaling up the quantities, mix by stirring, cover and leave in the fridge to cool. When serving, quickly stir to mix again, add fresh ice to a tumbler, pour, then…
Garnish with a fresh slice of orange.
About Midnight Oil
Liqueurs are a category of spirit that feature added flavours, such as fruits, herbs, and spices. They can be both drunk straight (by themselves) typically after a dessert course or used to add flavour and sweetness to cocktails.
Coffee liqueurs draw on roasted coffee’s aromas and oils to create a style of liqueur that is ideal for dessert, cocktails and drinking neat. Crude coffee liqueurs use cheap coffee and can be identified by a burnt or bitter taste and their straightforward coffee flavour. Better coffee liqueurs use the breadth of flavours in quality coffees including berries, cacoa, tobacco and nuts.
Midnight Oil coffee liqueur uses coffee from the esteemed Daterra Estate in Brazil, benefitting from its dark chocolate, hazelnut and marzipan flavours. The team at Climpson & Sons carefully infuse this specialty coffee into vodka and demerara rum from the East London Liquor Company, add a touch of Madagascan cocoa nib and vanilla and then give it time to gently mix together to create Midnight Oil.
Named after it’s dark, rich colour and luscious, oily mouthfeel, the result is an award-winning coffee liqueur that highlights both the coffee’s natural flavours and is strong enough to add an extra layer of flavour in your favourite cocktails.
You can buy Midnight Oil directly from Climpson & Sons and use it at home, at your events, or in your premises.