Coffee Soiree

Of all the diverse forms of partying, perhaps none is more refreshingly different and effortlessly pleasurable than that which has a coffeepot as its focal point. Spirits seem to become as liberated as the steam from an espresso machine, and any residues of stiff formality melt away like sugar in a cup of piping-hot Colombian.

The real beauty of a bean-based get-together is the minimum advance notice needed. There are countless occasions when you'd like friends to gather in your digs but you don't have time to do the groundwork for a dinner or even a late supper. Sometimes, the sheer size of a crowd makes a buffet supper practically impossible. One of the master keys to this kind of situation is to stage your own Kaffeeklatsch with compatible friends sipping Schlagobers and eating Kugelhof. A private coffeehouse party can fill the edibility gap between hunger and the theater. Before an early off-Broadway show or early cinema, pots of coffee and (continued on page 210)Coffee Soiree(continued from page 131) simple fresh sandwiches are perfect for calming hunger pangs. When pre-theater dinner parties are necessarily cut short to make curtain time, coffee and dessert after the show is a leisurely way of capping the evening's events. At any time or place, the art of civilized conversation can not only be kindled but kept alive indefinitely with magnifico mugs of Mexican coffee or café royale with cognac. Finally, there's no better modus operandi for informally introducing a new arrival in town, a political candidate or a recent art acquisition than hosting a coffee soiree.

Any cup of good Santos will do for an office coffee break. But at a gathering round your fireplace on a cold November night, the coffee should carry the charmed life of fresh spices from beyond the seas, aromas of fragrant liqueurs and aged brandies. What were once the rarities of the coffee kingdom will now be found on the shelves of all fine gourmet shops. Not too long ago, the rich Blue Mountain coffee of Jamaica could only be imbibed when you visited Ocho Rios or Port Antonio. In recent years, it's percolated throughout the States and has even invaded Rome, the espresso capital of the world. Rich Viennese coffee flavored with figs is being imported to this country, followed in its wake by endless undulating mountain ranges of whipped cream. The dark French-Italian roasts are everywhere, and it's amazing how these deep brews are now loved not only as dinner epilogs but even as breakfast pick-me-ups. Finding Turkish coffee properly pulverized to the softest powder was once as time consuming as a trip to Mecca. It's now packed in vacuum tins, and can be found alongside Hawaiian Kona coffee and the fiendishly dark New Orleans French market coffee flavored with chicory. Like tea connoisseurs who keep a half-dozen types of teas on their pantry shelves, coffee lovers everywhere are breaking their bonds and enjoying brews from Bogotá and Yemen.

The first leg of a coffee hop is acquiring the right equipment for the coffee you're planning to serve. If you're making espresso, you can use any dripolator that happens to be around. But if you brew it in an electric espresso machine or in the tall copper drip pot called a macchinetta, the mere sight of these devices at your coffee table should conjure up visions of the Via Veneto. Conceivably, Turkish coffee may be simmered in any small saucepan, but only when it rises in a tall Middle Eastern ibrik with long handle will it generate the heavenly foam that the natives of Turkey call the coffee's face. And what young Turk serving coffee anywhere in the world would allow himself to lose face? The flaming holiday drink called café brÛlot puts its best face forward when it's presented in a café brÛlot set, a chafing dish with mephisto legs, copper bowl and silver ladle, although any handsome deep chafing dish will do justice to the high spot that café brÛlot enjoys at this time of the year. Party coffee cups and saucers are best bought in "open stock" patterns, so that you can easily replenish or expand your inventory when necessary. You should own an ample supply of demitasse cups, saucers and demitasse spoons for party purposes. If you serve cappuccino frequently, you may want to acquire the slightly larger and longer cups or the glasses with silver holders in which cappuccino frequently appears--but demitasse cups will do nicely as stand-ins. Any man who owns a set of tom-and-jerry mugs or other mugs designed for hot wassail will find them extremely useful for Mexican coffee with chocolate and for other coffee-based comforts designed to ward off winter.

Choosing a particular brand of coffee in some ways is very much like selecting a bottle of wine. Some coffee, like wine from a single château, is grown in a single area, such as the delightful Colombian Medellín. Others are blends containing from two to forty different coffees. Coffee specialty shops, including those dealing in Meddle Eastern specialty foods, will gladly mix blends to your own drinking specifications. Price is usually, though not always, a reliable clue to quality. As with wine, only your own mouth and nose can tell you what you like best. In actual tasting, coffee-wise men look first of all for what professional tasters call the coffee's acidity or "bright flavor accent." It's the quality that gives coffee flavor its élan, like the balancing tartness in a sweet grape that makes it lively and brisk. You should also judge coffee by its body; that is, its concentration of flavor per sip. Its brewed color should be a clear dark brown, except in the case of Turkish coffee, which is properly turbid. Although you can't "nose" coffee in a tulip-shaped glass as you would wine, much of the coffee's flavor delivers its message to the olfactory sense as you slowly sip it. As in a wine or brandy, the aftertaste is all important. In choosing any coffee, buy the correct grind for the coffee maker you own; if it's too coarse, the brew will be underextracted; if it's too fine, it will be overextracted, with bitter, harsh flavors. Sometimes, a particular coffee will only be sold in one grind suitable for a percolator. You may happen to own a paper-filter coffee maker (the best, we think, for making American coffee) that requires coffee ground extremely fine. What to do? Brew your coffee by dropping it into a saucepan of water brought up to a boil, letting it steep for a minute or two. Then slowly pour it through your paper filter. In South America, where the technique is popular, a cloth bag is often used instead of a paper filter; but the resulting brew in either case is superb.

Coffee in the bean should be freshly roasted, freshly ground and freshly brewed. Don't keep coffee in the bean indefinitely; it should be used within ten days to two weeks from the time it's roasted. If you're using ground coffee from a vacuum tin, open a fresh tin for each party. After the tin is opened--party or no party--the coffee should be used within one week. Keep coffee in its tin tightly covered in the refrigerator; ground coffee picks up other odors all too easily. The best and freshest coffee in the world will have a delinquent flavor if your coffee maker isn't sparkling clean. Deterge it well after using; cleanse it frequently with a coffee-maker cleaner; and always before a party; it's particularly important if you use metal equipment or a glass percolator with a drip basket. Rinse any coffee maker with scalding-hot water before each use. If you use a coffee grinder (a magnificently easy device for snaring the volatile flavors of the dark-brown berry), be sure the grinder is untainted by accumulated coffee oils.

Most of the 2000 coffeehouses in London in the 17th Century were male oriented. If you wanted to listen to the wisdom of literati such as Dryden and Addison, you went to Will's or Button's coffeehouse; physicians compared notes at Garraway's; Lloyd's drew shipowners. Coffeehouses were called penny universities, because a penny's admission would bring you into the company of the greatest rebels and intellects of the day. Today, espresso houses from Tokyo to Berkeley to New York to Milan are centers for mixing both ideas and genders at the same time. At a private coffee soiree, the mix also involves adding a sumptuous sweet such as a big Linzertorte or a tray of warm fresh pastry to the coffee. You may have to do some exploratory shopping before you find the perfect panettone or pecan pie, but the effort is abundantly rewarding. Certain iced coffee drinks, such as the coffee frosteds listed below, are dessert and beverage in one glass. For a party, count on preparing at least 2 demitasse cups of coffee per person and about 1-1/2 large cups or mugs per person.

[recipe_title]Espresso[/recipe_title]

The fact that many electric espresso machines will make only two or three cups at a time isn't such a disadvantage as one might imagine at a party, since your coffee cantata is usually performed casually and sporadically throughout the evening. Some espresso machines have an extra strainer, so that while one batch is brewing, another can be made ready. Espresso may also be prepared in a macchinetta--a two-part invention, with boiling water in the bottom section, that is merely inverted for brewing; when the water has passed through the ground coffee, the top section is detached. So-called French-roast coffee is usually as dark as Italian espresso and may be used interchangeably. Italian recipes often call for 1 tablespoon coffee to each 3 ozs. water; the resultant espresso is pleasant during the morning or the afternoon. For after-dinner espresso, the brew is best double strength, using 1 coffee measuring spoon of coffee (2 level tablespoons) to each 3 ozs. water. Espresso is usually served with a twist of lemon peel and small sugar cubes.

[recipe_title]Caffè Sambuca[/recipe_title]

To each cup of espresso, add 1/2 oz. sambuca liqueur--a very delicate Italian liqueur made from the Sambucus plant. On coffee saucer, place a few whole coffee beans warmed in oven before serving. Sambuca may also be served in a liqueur glass along with the espresso. A few coffee beans are placed in the glass; after the liqueur is downed, the beans are slowly munched.

[recipe_title]Caffè Poncino[/recipe_title]

Add 1/2 oz. añejo rum to each cup of espresso. Add twist of lemon peel or orange peel or both.

[recipe_title]Caffè Noccioline[/recipe_title]

For 6 people, about 1/2 lb. shelled hazelnuts will be required. Be sure they are free of shells, as well as thin brown coating. Preheat oven at 375°. Beat 1 egg white until it just begins to froth; it should not be stiff. Stir in 2 teaspoons water. Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Roll hazelnuts in egg white to coat thoroughly; roll in sugar mixture; spread on lightly greased shallow pan and bake about 20 minutes or until medium brown. Avoid scorching. Cool before serving. Prepare espresso. To each cup of espresso, add 1 teaspoon anisette. Serve toasted hazelnuts on side or in demitasse saucers.

[recipe_title]Espresso BrÛlot[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

[drinkRecipe]18 ozs. (6 demitasse cups) freshly brewed espresso[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. Galliano liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 oz. curaçao[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ozs. brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 small pieces lemon peel[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 small pieces orange peel[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]8 whole allspice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 whole cloves[/drinkRecipe]

2 pieces stick cinnamon, broken in half About an hour before serving, pour Galliano, curaçao and brandy into a café brÛlot set or deep chafing dish. Add lemon peel, orange peel, allspice, cloves and cinnamon. Heat over a low flame just until liqueurs are warm, not hot. Continued heating will cause alcohol to evaporate. Slightly warming spices in this manner helps release their flavors. Turn off flame. Just before serving, heat liqueurs again. When hot, set ablaze; let flame for around a minute or two, then add espresso. Heat up to boiling point, but do not boil. Spoon espresso brÛlot into demitasse cups, adding one or two pieces of peel to each cup.

[recipe_title]Cappuccino[/recipe_title]

(Six four-oz. cups)

(6 coffee measures (12 level tablespoons) Italian-roast coffee, ground for dripolator or paper-filter coffee maker)

[drinkRecipe]16 ozs. (1 pint) cold water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. light cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Ground cinnamon[/drinkRecipe]

Named after the brown robes of the austere Capuchin monks, cappuccino is an antonym for austerity. Basically, it's espresso and milk, or milk and cream, frothed in an espresso machine under steam pressure. A common formula is half espresso, half milk. We prefer 2 parts coffee to 1 part milk and cream. The cappuccino cup or glass usually holds 4 or 5 ozs. A dash of cinnamon at the end should be a generous one. If you don't have an espresso machine, the following technique works well.

Bring water to a boil; pour over coffee in dripolator or paper-filter. In a saucepan, bring milk and cream up to a boil. Pour into hot coffee; stir. Pour into blender and blend at high speed 15 seconds. Return to saucepan and again heat up to boiling point, but do not boil. Ladle rather than pour into cups, in order to add as much froth as possible. Sprinkle each cup with cinnamon. Sugar to taste at table. Cappuccino may also be topped with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon or with cinnamon and grated orange rind.

[recipe_title]Caffè Borgia[/recipe_title]

Add 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup to each cup cappuccino. Top with sweetened whipped cream, ground cinnamon and grated orange rind.

[recipe_title]Viennese Coffee, Schlagobers[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

[drinkRecipe]6 coffee measures (12 level tablespoons) Viennese coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]36 ozs. (1 quart plus 4 ozs.) water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup sweet heavy cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (sifted, if lumpy)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon vanilla extract[/drinkRecipe]

The best-known Viennese coffee is a medium-dark roast flavored slightly with figs; the fig flavor is not overpowering but serves as enrichment. Buy the after-dinner type, rather than the breakfast version. Schlagen means to beat; and in Vienna, beaten or whipped cream is sloshed unstintingly over everything from hot coffee to thick cherry strudel. The cream must be freshly whipped shortly before it's brought to the table. Although it's often served unsweetened in Viennese coffeehouses, the sweetened variety is more appealing to American coffee addicts. Some Austrians lower great dollops of the whipped cream onto their steaming-hot coffee and then draw cream and coffee noisily through the teeth. Other Schlägers stir it into the hot coffee. A half-empty cup is usually decked with a second helping.

Pour cream into prechilled narrow bowl. Add sugar and whip until cream forms soft mounds; don't overbeat. Stir in vanilla. Brew coffee with water in dripolator, percolator or paper-filter coffee maker. Serve steaming hot. Pass whipped cream at table.

[recipe_title]Viennese Coffee, Spiced Schlagobers[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

Prepare coffee and whipped cream as above. After cream is whipped, stir in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

[recipe_title]Viennese Coffee, Cherry Schlagobers[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

Prepare Viennese coffee, Schlagobers. After cream is whipped, stir into it 2 ozs. cherry liqueur.

[recipe_title]Viennese Coffee, Crème De Cacao[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

Prepare Viennese coffee, Schlagobers. Grate 1/2 lb. thick, sweet milk chocolate by forcing it through large holes of a square metal grater. To each cup of coffee, add 2 teaspoons crème de cacao. Pass chocolate separately at table to be sprinkled over whipped cream.

[recipe_title]Turkish Coffee[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

[drinkRecipe]18 ozs.(6 demitasse cups) cold water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 heaping teaspoons Turkish coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 level teaspoons sugar (or more to taste)[/drinkRecipe]

Pour water into Turkish coffeepot (ibrik). Heat over very low flame until water is hot but not boiling. Remove from flame and stir in coffee and sugar; a foam will form on top. To retain the foam, the coffee should never be vigorously boiled. Return pot to flame; bring up to a boil--but do not boil and do not stir. Pour half the coffee among the 6 cups. Return pot to flame and again very slowly bring up to a boil. Pour balance of coffee into cups. Sip until sediment is reached.

[recipe_title]Turkish Coffee with Cardamom)[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

Remove seeds from 12 cardamom pods. Add seeds to cold water in above recipe and prepare as above.

[recipe_title]Turkish Coffee with Ouzo[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

Prepare Turkish coffee. Pour into cups. Into each cup, pour 2 teaspoons ouzo. Hold teaspoon along inside rim of cup when pouring, so that ouzo floats on top. Set each cup ablaze. Sip when flames vanish.

[recipe_title]Mexican Coffee Kahlúa[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

[drinkRecipe]6 coffee measures (12 level tablespoons) American coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]32 ozs. (1 quart) water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 tablespoons chocolate syrup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]16 ozs. (1 pint) milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup heavy sweet cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (sifted, if lumpy)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons cocoa[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon vanilla[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. Kahlúa coffee liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

Brew coffee and water, using dripolator, percolator or paper-filter coffee maker. In a saucepan, stir chocolate syrup into milk. Slowly bring up to a boil. Combine coffee and milk, blending well. Keep warm until serving time. Pour cream, sugar and cocoa into prechilled narrow bowl. Beat until think. Stir in vanilla. Pour coffee into mugs holding at least 8 ozs. Spoon whipped cream on top. Pour 1/2 oz. Kahlúa over whipped cream in each mug.

[recipe_title]Café Royale[/recipe_title]

(Six cups)

[drinkRecipe]6 coffee measures (12 level tablespoons) French-roast or American coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]18 ozs. (1 pint plus 2 ozs.) water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Small sugar cubes[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Cognac[/drinkRecipe]

Brew coffee and water, using dripolator, percolator or paper-filter coffee maker. This will produce double-strength after-dinner coffee. Make coffee lighter if desired. Pour into 6 demitasse cups. For each cup, place a sugar cube on a tablespoon. Fill spoon with cognac; hold over hot coffee to warm cognac; set ablaze. When flames subside, stir cognac and sugar into coffee. Metaxa, calvados or rum may be used in the same ritual.

[recipe_title]Coffee Frosted Benedictine[/recipe_title]

(Six 12-oz. glasses)

[drinkRecipe]8 coffee measures (16 level tablespoons) American coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]48 ozs. (1 quart plus 1 pint) water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (sifted, if lumpy)[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon vanilla[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 scoops (1/3 cup each) vanilla ice cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. (12 tablespoons) benedictine[/drinkRecipe]

Brew coffee and water, using percolator, dripolator or paper-filter coffee maker. Chill in refrigerator until cold. In prechilled narrow bowl, pour heavy cream and sugar. Beat until thick. Stir in vanilla. Store, tightly covered, in refrigerator until needed. For each glass of coffee frosted benedictine, pour 8 ozs. coffee into blender; add 1 scoop ice cream and 1 tablespoon benedictine. Blend at high speed about 1/2 minute. Pour into tall 12-oz. glass. Top each serving with another scoop of ice cream. Spoon whipped cream on top. Pour 1 more tablespoon benedictine over whipped cream.

[recipe_title]Turkish Coffee Frosted[/recipe_title]

(Six 12-oz. glasses)

[drinkRecipe]6 coffee measures (12 level tablespoons) Turkish coffee[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]36 ozs. (1 quart plus 4 ozs.) boiling water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 cups finely cracked ice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 teaspoons sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 scoops (1/3 cup each) vanilla ice cream[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. Pasha Turkish coffee liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

Brew coffee by pouring water over coffee in paper-filter coffee maker. Chill in refrigerator until cold. For each glass of Turkish coffee frosted, pour 6 ozs. coffee, 1/2 cup cracked ice, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 scoop ice cream into blender. Blend at high speed about 1/2 minute. Pour into tall 12-oz. glass. Add scoop of ice cream. Pour Pasha Turkish coffee liqueur on top.

Whatever coffee caper you undertake, rest assured that you'll be brewing up a fete that meets with almost universal approbation. So get on the bean.