Layering Up for Winter

If you played Operation as a child, you know that success in the battery-operated surgery game depended on a very steady hand. The same goes for adults when preparing a category of drink called pousse-café. Although this French term meaning “coffee pusher” refers to cordials and brandies that might be served after dinner, in the U.S., a pousse-café is a layered drink made by slowly pouring a series of liqueurs, spirits or creams over the back side of a spoon so that each ingredient floats atop the one before it. The result is striking – both on the eye and the palate. Pousse-cafés can be beautiful (The herbaceous, sweet namesake features six colorful layers.), yet they rarely get listed on drink menus thanks to the extra fuss they demand. But for those willing to take a few extra minutes behind the bar, understanding the density of products is a must, since a pousse-café must be built beginning with the heaviest ingredient and ending with the lightest. (For a handy chart on the densities of commonly used alcoholic products, pick up a copy of Gary Regan’s The Joy of Mixology.) Playing with pousse-cafés also requires a hand adept at floating liquors – a technique mastered either by using the aforementioned bar spoon method or by pouring the liquid down a glass stirring rod into a cordial glass, port glass or pousse-café glass. Layer after layer of colorful liqueurs result in a heavy, rich drink that’s the perfect indulgence come holiday season. If you have a few extra minutes – and a hankering for something sweet – try your hand at one of these classic two- and three-layer recipes. Got the method down? Go for the namesake – a six-strata sipper.