Roast & Toast's Cold-brew Whiskey Sour

Bottoms Up

By Lynda Wheatley | May 23, 2020

Sometimes it seems as if Roast & Toast Café started roasting and brewing mighty fine coffee inside its quirky concrete-and-coffee-mug-emblazoned walls before coffee culture was even cool. In fact, May 19 marked 27 years for the venerable Petoskey shop.

A lot has changed since Mary and Bob Keedy opened its door in 1993. They’ve taken on a third partner, Ben Walker; boast a pair of SCA-trainer roasters, Mariah Becker and Hillary Davis; and have wholly embraced and infused their extensive food and drink menu with the flavors of more than a dozen local farms and spice, soda, and beer makers that have come on the scene since.

Their dedication to great coffee, however, hasn’t budged a bean. Because coffee begins to lose flavor after two weeks, Mary Keedy says the shop never sells or brew coffee that’s more than two weeks old. And while that’s reason enough for us to celebrate, we feel 27 years of great coffee deserves a lil something more. Happily, so does Hillary Davis, who shared her recipe for an anniversary-appropriate R&T cold-brew whiskey sour:

• 1 ounce of simple syrup (i.e., 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water, boiled and cooled)
• 2 ounces fresh cold brew coffee
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 ounces of whiskey

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake until the shaker is frosty. To serve, pour liquid over fresh ice in your favorite rocks glass and enjoy.

Find food, drinks, and, of course, house-roasted whole-bean and ground coffee at Roast and Toast Café, 309 Lake St. Open 8am–4pm daily for pick-up, curbside delivery, and limited dine-in service. (231) 347-7767, www.roastandtoast.com