Ebony & Ivory
Posted by Colleen Graham on The Spirit World.
What do you get when you mix butterscotch with a complex, 43-ingredient liqueur and top it with a chocolate-cream head? The answer is the cocktail created by Sweden’s 2008 Bartender of the Year. The bartender is one Fredrik Lindfors of the Cadier Bar in Stockholm and the drink is the Ebony & Ivory.
At first I thought it may be one of those novelty dessert cocktails, those that are heavy on the cream and a random mix of flavors thrown together. Butterscotch itself usually turns me off because in cocktails it is often so candy-like that you don’t feel like you’re drinking anything made for an adult. Shooters like the Buttery Nipple and Oatmeal Cookie come to mind, and on the “neater” side there are numerous recipes like a Caramel Apple Martini, in which butterscotch is key but often overused.
So I put my preconceptions aside and gave this one a try. Lindfors wouldn’t have won the Classic Style class during the Swedish Bartenders’ Guild competition or have two years of rave reviews for the Ebony & Ivory if it was anything but extraordinary, right? I made one up after and it is one very fine drink – both refreshing and rich with an herbal nuance against a butterscotch background. The chocolate cream with a sprinkle of vanilla sugar is the perfect finishing touch. The other thing I like about this cocktail is that it isn’t too heavy; instead it has a nice balance that shows off all of its flavors in a very delicate way.
Ebony & Ivory
- 1 oz. DeKuyper Butterscotch
- 1 oz. Licor 43
- 1/5 cup Monin Chocolat Syrup
- 4/5 cup fresh cream
- 1 strawberry
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla sugar
Stir the Butterscotch and Licor 43 with lots of ice. Strain into a well chilled cocktail glass. In a shaker, mix the chocolate syrup and cream for about 10 – 15 seconds, and then float the cream on top of the drink. Garnish with a strawberry on the edge and sprinkle vanilla sugar on the cream.
