“Every time I would go over to my grand parents’ house they would make rice pudding,” recalls Demi Natoli. “There was always just a giant stick of cinnamon in there and the best part was licking the little crispy parts at the bottom of the pot.” To mimic the flavor of this dessert, Natoli incorporates Saigon cinnamon and coconut syrups atop a rum base, as well as amontillado sherry which provides a certain nuttiness to the drink. In a cheeky nod to her favorite part of the dessert, she garnishes the drink with a bite-size rice crispy treat. “It all rounds out to be just like a beautiful flip cocktail,” says Natoli.
Arroz Con Leche
Demi Natoli, The Patterson House | Nashville, TN
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 1/2 ounce Barbados rum, preferably Real McCoy 5 Year
- 1/2 ounce overproof aged rum, preferably Plantation O.F.T.D.
- 1/2 ounce amontillado sherry, preferably Lustau
- 1/2 ounce coco syrup (see Editor's Note)
- 1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup (see Editor's Note)
- 1 whole egg
- 1 barspoon condensed milk
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: rice crispy treat
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake with ice.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Garnish with rice crispy treat.
Editor's Note
Coco Syrup:
1/4 cup coconut milk powder, preferably Coconut Dream
200 grams sugar
200 grams water
4-5 cans of unsweetened coconut milk.
Chill the cans of unsweetened coconut milk for 24 hours. Separate the solid fats from the liquid until you have 2 cups of fat and discard the liquid. Combine all the ingredients in a pot over low heat and blend using an immersion blender.
Cinnamon Syrup:
50 grams Saigon cinnamon powder
400 grams water
sugar (see below)
Combine the water and the cinnamon in a pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Fine strain the mixture through a chinois lined with a cheesecloth. Add equal parts sugar by weight and bottle.