Whip that Groove

Flavored Whipped Creams from scratch

www.KylesCocktailHotel.com

by Kyle Branche
Professional Bartender, Cocktail Specialist

Many moons ago when I first started out in the business, I was working the bar in a brand new
Embassy Suites hotel on Camelback Road in Phoenix, AZ. One of our preps was to make fresh

whipped cream each evening behind the bar, for hot drinks during the cooler/winter months, and

blended and cream drinks for warmer/summer months. It wasn’t until the last few years watching

the beverage palate shift into the endless flavorfest it is today, that the same form of expanding

could be done with the use of fresh whipping cream, enhancing this garnish as a creative closer

(and beginning) to a drink, whether it be blended with drop-dashes of spirited liqueurs/schnapps,

a drink with no alcohol using the various flavors of Italian syrups, or the use of flavored sugars

available on the market today.

I’ve been adding a few drops of green creme de menthe atop whipped cream for the Irish Coffee

and Nutty Dubliner for years, with bar patrons getting the slyist grin when they see it coming.

That great color of the flag at the top. Not much though, just a little is enough. You want it

as a visual compliment to the drink, with just a touch-addition of flavor, not to mess with the

main flavor ingredients of the cocktail itself. This works great, but when blended in fresh, is

better. Either way, preparation is the key. You need a clean blender and some fresh whipping

cream you can get at your local grocery or whole foods store. Have some sugars nearby off to

the side for possible use. These won’t be necessarily light whips, as whipping cream is normally

heavier and more dense, but it’s for good reason. Last but not least is a selection of tempered,

yet sizeable glassware that goes well with these “hot” categories of drink.
 Considerations

Temperatures and Proof

Temps of the liquids going into the blender matter to a great degree, pardon the pun. It is best for

everything to be cold. The whipping cream, the liqueurs and syrups. There’s better bonding so to

speak when the liquids aren’t compromising their solidity for neutral ground, temperature-wise.

The process of density, quickens.

Spirits naturally have a bit of a heat element to them, therefore it’s always best for what we’re

creating here, to start them off cold. Some liqueurs have a very low spirit-base to them, while the

proof in others can be higher and more pronounced. If so, this equates to more alcohol and less

sugars, resulting in a thinner liquid going in. If the chosen liqueur is low in proof (ABV), mean-

ing less alcohol and more sugars overall, this results in a thicker liquid with a slight syrupy tex-

ture, better for blending and becoming in the whipped state with the cream.

This is true for almost the entire schnapps category, where there’s normally a great deal of fruit

sugars and low proof. There are a few select schnapps though, specially produced with a much

higher alcohol content in mind, of which you won’t normally consider for blending purposes.

Hot Drinks
When a customer receives the coffee cocktail they ordered, the first sip can end up being less

than hot, more like lukewarm. There could be a combination of reasons why, like:

1. The tempered glass used to prepare the drink in is not pre-heated first.

2. Glassware for coffee cocktails should be larger in oz. amount, so the heat of the liquid powers

the glass hot, instead of the other way around. Some standard sizes today are for more of a quick

sipper instead of a drink to lounge with for a while.

3. When the addition of the recipe’s room temp liqueurs goes into the hot coffee, it reduces in

temperature naturally, then comes the cool-temped whipped cream at the top. The hot part of
the drink needs more of a fighting chance to stay hot longer. The amount of liqueurs used would

be best to not exceed beyond 1½ oz in total, for it’s meant to gently flavor the coffee, not take it

over. Other hot drinks like toddies, teas, hot ciders, cobblers, grogs and hot chocolate need sim-

ilar attention when preparing so the drink always arrives to the customer at the right temperature.

Make sure the hot liquid of the recipe is piping hot going in, because it won’t stay that way for

very long when everything else hits it.

Flavor World
Like we already see the bartending practice of dusting accents of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger

spice, allspice, apple spice, coconut shavings, cocoa powder, and other potentially workable

spices, sugars, chopped nuts and liqueur dashes over the top of whipped cream, all we’re really

doing now is taking it one step, deeper. Call it “Whipfusing”.

Liqueurs

There is such a range of liqueurs and schnapps to choose from for the process of fusing with

whipping cream, including fruity, herbal, medicinal, nutty, floral, and cream (emulsified).

The following entries are a good start for experimentation with bar masters and chefs.

Afrikoko Agwa Amadeus Amaretto Amsterdam Ava Tahiti Bauchant Napoleon

Benedictine Berentzen Blue Curacao Canton Caymana Celtic Crossing Chambord

Cherry Marnier Claristine Clement Creole Cloudberry Cointreau Creme Boulard

Creme de Cassis Creme de Noyaux Damiana Domaine Charbay Dracula’s Potion

Drambuie Dulceda Eau de Vie Frangelico Galliano Godiva Gran Caffe Illy

Intrigue Izarra Kahana Royale Kahlua Kamasutra Ke Ke Beach La Grande Passion

Licor 43 Lillehammer Limoncello Luxardo Maraschino Mathilde Maui Medoc

Midori Milady Mirabelle Mozart Nocello Orchid Pama Paolina Passoa

Parfait Amour Pisang Ambon Pistachia RedCliff Rose Essence Sabra Safari
Sambuca Sence Shakka Silhouette Snow Storm St~Germain Strega Taboo

Trappistine Tuaca Ty Ku Uphoria Vandermint Velvet Falernum Vermeer

Waldheidelbeer X-Rated Zamoura

Syrups

Many Italian cordial syrups are available on the market today in a wide range of flavors with

no alcohol. Some brands include Da Vinci, Torani, Stasero, Fontana and Monin. The flavors

include:

Kiwi Apple Melon Praline Amaretto Toasted Walnut Chocolate Macadamia

Caribbean Falernum Butter Pecan Caramel Butter Rum Tiramisu Marionberry

Loganberry Starfruit Key Lime Pumpkin Pie Fruit Punch English Toffee Grape

Papaya Guava French Vanilla Almond Roca Orgeat Tamarindo Butterscotch

Sugars

Normally, you add a little sugar to whipping cream when it’s in the blender doing its thing, to

achieve a measured level of sweetness, as on its own can be a bit bland and tasteless. So, if we’re

doing this already, why not consider raising the bar and experiment with the wide variety of

flavored sugars currently on the market today from places like Planet Sugar (cocktailcandy.com)

and Faerie’s Finest Gourmet sugars (FaeriesFinest.com), such as:

Sour Apple Pineapple Peach Tangerine Chocolate Blueberry Cherry Cool Mint

Almond Bliss Anise Forever Cinnamon Swirl Ginger Snap Lavender Lilt Coffee

Citrus Burst Macadamia Nut Maple Candy Rootbeer Float Jamaican Rum Hazelnut

Banana Split Nicely Nutmeg Winter Spice Coconut Grove Cider & Spice Flowers

Fresh

You can also try using fresh fruit pan-simmered syrups (cooled and thickened), preserves or a

little bit of soft, chopped fruit, as long as the weight doesn’t hinder the whip-to-thick process.
Desserted
This idea is also great for use with the sweet part of the dining experience, as waiters can con-

sider offering a flavored whipped cream topping that may pair up well with several selections

from the house’s current, seasonal, and rotational dessert tray.

Prep
The amount of flavoring used in the whipping cream will also require experimentation to get

to the desired level of accent, and maybe color as well. For the liqueurs and syrups, add drops

at a time. For the sugars, add a pinch at a time. Grow the flavor as it’s whipping and mark how

much gets you to the desired taste. In trying flavor combinations, new or from known recipes,

first put drops of desired flavor ideas together in a shot glass, stir with a straw and sip to taste

before it’s added to the cream. The whipping time in the blender is fairly quick to thickness.

Just be patient and have a long spoon ready to transfer contents from the blending cup to your

chosen container. Taste as you go along, and soon, like everything else we do behind the bar

and in the kitchen, you’ll have the recipes down in no time.

Storage
Store small containers of chosen liqueurs, schnapps, syrups and sugars in the backbar cooler for

safe keeping and readier prep temperature, in either plastic stor ‘n pour or glass containers. Yet,

for finished whipping creams, it’s best to use glass, as it keeps it colder, hence the possible in-

crease in longer lasting thickness. It may be best to only make enough for the evening at hand,

never making too much of one flavor, and starting with fresh everyday.

Overall, there are some wild flavor ideas to consider having fairly inexpensive fun with in order

to create something special, and to signaturize a new practice for your customers to remember.

Who would’ve thought ? Us, of course, because it’s a culinary art! END