Recipes: The Spicy Cowgirl

While we were at The Merc a couple of weeks ago, we (of course) ventured upstairs to the coffee shop/bakery. Since I was four weeks into following a Paleo lifestyle, I was in search of a "Paleo-friendly" coffee drink.

LOL. Here's how that went:

Me (to the very dapper older gentleman behind the counter): "What can you recommend that is...well...diet friendly? As in, no sugar..."

Him: (loooong pause, then a slow smile): Coffee. Black coffee. You're at The Merc. We're the real deal. We don't do 'diet' around here."

I was just about to cave because, Y'ALL..the coffee drinks being concocted behind that bar were nothing short of a work of pure, drinkable art, and I wanted one! Fortunately, a younger girl (not Paige or Alex, I'm sad to report) stepped up and said, "I can make you a Spicy Cowgirl, with a few tweaks."

In no way could I turn down something with THAT label.

BEST. CHOICE. EVER.

This coffee drink is a mix of cold brew coffee, chile syrup (did not even know that was a thing), whole milk (she tweaked mine with almond milk), heavy cream mixed with a bit of vanilla, and topped with a touch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper.

Granted, you have to enjoy spice - which I LOVE - and you have to relish strong coffee - which I DO. I enjoyed the whole experience; for sure it gave Starbucks a run for its money. Everything from the perfectly shaped ice (you KNOW the type of ICE is always important in all drinks), the rich, caramel-y color, to The Merc's logo, all the way to the slightest touch of a burn that remained after I took a swallow.

It was so good that I returned the next day for a 2nd one!

Once home, all it took was a quick Google search to find Ree's recipe. I made it this morning, even though I was out of heavy whipping cream and I tried to substitute dark baking chocolate for the chocolate "sauce" used at The Merc.

                     

Though my version was lacking the initial bit of sweet from the cream and the chocolate came through a bit stronger than the real deal, it is still amazingly delicious, which lets me know you can play around with it a bit to fit your needs and likes. I do plan to keep more heavy whipping cream on hand though!

You can get the recipe here and try it for yourself!!

Also, I scored these darling little chalk board mason jar mugs for an AHmazing price at...are you ready for this?...Super 1! Get them before they're gone!

XXOO
The Spicy Cowgirl
Staci