Florida Likes Its Coffee Black

It's not my favorite, but for many residents of Florida, they take their coffee black. Researchers from Coventry surveyed over 2,100 Americans on how they take their coffee and how much they spend on it. They created a "shade scale". 1 being the lightest coffee (lots of cream and sugar), and 9 being the darkest. Florida got a 9 on the scale. Florida coffee lovers like their coffee black.

Here's some more of the data, to see how your coffee habits measure up with the rest of the state.

On average, here's what we put in our coffee. 1.66 teaspoons of sugar. 2.02 teaspoons of creamer or milk. So if many are taking their coffee black, someone must be bringing up that average to hit those numbers. Who is it? It's me.

Bring on the flavor! I call my coffee "half and half." My cup is half coffee, half other stuff. That's what half and half means, right? Really, this is our coffee maker at work. And it's free for all of us to use. What kind of psychopath would drink black coffee with all these fun options? This brew tastes almost exactly the same as the mocha at Starbucks:

Finally, doing my due diligence, I did ask around at work. It seems that even with the ability to get a free espresso, latte, or mocha - most of my coworkers still reach for a black coffee. It seems to be a Florida thing, but I'm not participating. I like my coffee to be fun. Now if only this thing had a setting for an Espresso Martini....

Cheers to National Espresso Martini Day. Yes, there really is such a thing. Espresso Martinis are the perfect cocktail to perk you up on one hand, and chill out with on the other. A blend of alcohol, caffeine and sugar, they also make an ideal after dinner drink. The cocktail is said to have originated in San Francisco in the early 80's.

You only need a few ingredients for these coffee based cocktails, the most important being a good vodka and quality, fresh brewed espresso. From here recipes vary but always include some kind of coffee liqueur such as Tia Maria or Kahlua. Sometimes cold brew coffee or concentrate is used. A sweetener is also key, such as simple syrup. Finally, lots of ice and a vigorous shake before straining helps to create a nice froth.

I enjoy mixing cocktails and trying to get all the flavors just right. But sometimes, I don't want to do the work. Enter pre-mixed cocktails. Sadly, not all of these are very good. However, there are a few that do a good job. I was recently introduced tone of them, Via Carota Craft Cocktails, which coincidentally bottles an espresso martini. Score!

Via Carota originated in New York City as a way to elevate your at  home cocktail experience. Besides espresso martini, Via Carota makes an Old Fashioned, Manhattan and Negroni. They come in beautiful beveled glass bottles that look classy on your bar cart. $39

The key to a good martini is having good ingredients. Also, if you're not a professional, measuring those ingredients helps to ensure a proper balance. Here is a recipe that might help. Cheers to National Espresso Martini Day.

This one comes from Sunny Vodka. I have not tried the brand but love the name. It's perfect for Southwest Florida! Sunny Vodka is vegan, gluten-free, made from 100% U.S. grown corn and is handcrafted in small batches. It’s distilled 6 times and is finished through an extra filtration process using California Limestone.

Ingredients:
o 1 oz Sunny Vodka
o 1 oz Fresh Espresso
o 1 oz Cold Brew Liqueur
o .75 oz Madagascar Vanilla Bean Syrup
o Pinch of Kosher Salt
o Espresso Beans for Garnish (optional)

Method:
Put all ingredients, except the coffee bean, in a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain up into a martini glass. Cheers