Grab a tankard and climb aboard! Our recent collab with Loaded Cannon Distillery has inspired a spirited new cocktail, and it’s the perfect companion to any seafaring summer.
Pirate’s Coffee whips our favorite things about dessert, breakfast, java, and liquor into one surprising maple-laced potion. The recipe rolls out heavy artillery with a slug of Loaded Cannon premium aged coffee-flavored rum, infused with real Kahwa coffee at their Lakewood Ranch, Florida, headquarters.
Crafted in an all-copper still, the Loaded Cannon rum has a smooth taste and balanced sweetness. These deliciously warm and nutty flavors get blended into Kahwa cold brew and topped with crunchy, orange-candied bacon for a rousing drink.
Insider tip: To punch up flavor and dial-down the dilution factor, make yourself some coffee cubes the night before by pouring cooled Kahwa into ice cube trays and stowing them in the freezer.
You’ll also want to prep the bacon garnish in advance. Start by bringing one cup each of water and maple syrup to a boil together in a medium pot. Once that’s rolling, add the zest from a small orange and remove from heat. Immediately cover and steep for 20 minutes.
While the syrup is resting, separate a package of your favorite thick-cut bacon onto a baking tray with a drainage rack. When the orange syrup is fully steeped, pour it on the bacon in a luscious sticky coating, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until it’s crispy and smells completely divine.
If you want to get wild, sprinkle on a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon while the bacon cools. Just remember when you’re “taste testing” that you need to save a few slices for the finished drink.
Ready to light the fuses? Fill a cocktail shaker with coffee ice cubes and add between one-half and one full ounce of maple syrup, depending on the intensity of your sweet tooth. Add only the white part from one raw egg, discarding the yolk. This helps create froth in the drink and blends the ingredients into super-smoothness.
Next, add two ounces of Loaded Cannon coffee-flavored rum, and two ounces of Kawha cold brew coffee, available to-go from a host of local retailers (including the Loaded Cannon tasting room). Put on your strainer lid and shake, shake, shake that thing for two whole minutes.
Yes, your arm may get a little tired. Yes, you need to shake for two full minutes. It will all make sense when you’re pouring the finished foamy concoction into a tall, chilled glass. Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and a bacon-strip garnish. And next time, make extra to share with the crew, ye scurvy dog!
