Served in a coupe glass, County Seat’s affogato espresso martini combines their own Zero G Vodka with espresso, coffee vodka, simple syrup and—the best part—a scoop of vanilla ice cream. “The scoop of ice cream is placed into the coupe glass while the rest of the ingredients are poured into your shaker tin with ice,” explains bar manager and events coordinator Shannon Muhlenbruch. The bar team vigorously shakes the cocktail ingredients before straining them into the glass over the ice cream.
Muhlenbruch says the affogato espresso martini was inspired by the classic Italian dessert. “You can find a variation of it in one way or another at several bars,” she says. “For ours, we went classic, keeping things simple and letting our spirits shine through.” The cocktail mellows out the bold, sweet and slightly bitter flavors of a classic espresso martini with the sweet creaminess of vanilla ice cream.
Simple, delicious and “just a little elegant,” Muhlenbruch calls this drink a dessert cocktail that’s not a lot of fuss: “You can enjoy it on a night out and it’s easy enough that you can replicate it at home.”
Looking to elevate your dessert cocktail with a dessert? Muhlenbruch recommends their chocolate chip cookie sundae, prepared in a little cast-iron skillet. “We host a silent book club on the last Wednesday of the month with the Easton Public Library and I find that to be the combination of choice among some of the attendees,” she says.
Another dessert cocktail that should definitely not be missed is County Seat’s After-School Special. “It tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it’s topped with whipped cream,” says Muhlenbruch. “We had taken it off the menu for a while but brought it back due to popular demand.”
669 N. 13th St., Easton | 610.438.2531 | countyseatspirits.com
Published as "Drink This" in the January2025 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
