Since leaving Baltimore, where she worked at The Bluebird and NiHao, to join Happy Accidents in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tammy Bouma has been putting her penchant for tinkering to good use, expanding the bar’s menu with playful cocktails built around a roster of ingredients unique to the Southwest. In this flip, champurrado—a hot Mexican chocolate drink—nods to time-honored regional flavors and is paired with rum distilled in-house and a porter reduction, plus passion fruit liqueur and a whole egg.
Almost Forgotten
Tammy Bouma | Albuquerque, New Mexico
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1 ounce champurrado (see Editor’s Note)
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 ounce porter reduction (see Editor’s Note)
- 1/2 ounce passion fruit liqueur, preferably Chinola
Garnish: cinnamon stick, for grating
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry-shake (without ice).
- Add ice and shake again.
- Double-strain into a brandy snifter or a flip glass.
- Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon.
Editor's Note
Champurrado
16 ounces milk
3 ounces Demerara sugar
1/3 cup masa harina (yellow corn flour)
2 1/2 ounces white chocolate nibs
4 cinnamon sticks
2 pieces star anise
1 teaspoon salt
Add all ingredients to a pot over low heat and bring to a low simmer while whisking occasionally. (Make sure to not let it get too hot; you don't want to scald the milk.) Simmer for 8 minutes, whisking every 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Use a coarse strainer to strain out the spices. (It’s OK to keep some spice flecks and fat components from the white chocolate; those provide flavor.)
Porter Reduction
24 ounces porter
12 ounces Demerara sugar
Over low heat, reduce the porter by half, but do not boil. Once reduced, remove from heat. Add the sugar and whisk to dissolve.