Swamp Du Jour Assume Nothing Drink Recipe

By Tim Tran

“Assume Nothing!” A mantra for The Crown as we worked towards opening our doors in March of 2019, the phrase became a Menu section, encouraging our visitors to drop their preconceptions and be open to new and delicious experiences. And now it’s the title of a drink recipe series, for you to recreate at home. Here’s to a year of assuming nothing!

Swamp Du Jour 

No one said it couldn’t be done. In fact, we’re not even sure if anyone really asked for it. But here at the Crown, when we create, we like to push boundaries of flavor creativity in harmony, cacophony, discordance, and otherwise. Sometimes these creations land us in outlandish places – places like swamps. 

Swamp Stew is a drink that’s a little like an ogre. It stinks. Or rather, sorry, it’s got layers. That’s right, we’re bringing onions to coffee. And as we all know, onions are love. A caramelized onion syrup that lends a rich, sweet flavor to creamy nitrogenated coffee, and then hit with a touch of balsamic for a little bright tartness. Heavy on flavor, heavy on mouthfeel, heavy on zaniness. We know, we know, an out-there idea – well, we’re inviting you in for a taste. Our hope is to give you a pleasant, complex surprise that is deeply imbued with layers. 

The layer game is strong with this drink building on subtleties beneath ogrewhelming ingredients. A flavor combination that seems wild, but for us here at the Crown? It’s all allium-mentary. Welcome to the swamp, we hope you enjoy your stay! 

Ingredients: 

• ½ medium sized onion, coarsely chop 
• ¼ poblano pepper, sliced 
• Pinch of salt 
• Coconut oil 
• 500g sugar 
• 500mL water 
• Balsamic vinegar 

NOTE: If you are making this at home and taking the time to caramelize some onions, we recommend you caramelize more than just a half onion. While this serves as a guide for a scaled-down ratio of the recipe we use here, you won’t be made about having some spare caramelized onions sitting around. 

Instructions:

1. Caramelize onions in coconut oil over medium heat until jammy. (Ballpark about an hour to hour and a half for this) Season onions with salt. 
2. As onions start to become a deep brown, introduce sliced peppers. 
3. Make a simple syrup with sugar and water. Bring syrup to a simmer. 
4. Add mixture of onions and peppers to simple syrup. Let steep and macerate overnight. 
5. Strain mixture. 
6. Mix syrup and balsamic vinegar at a ratio of 30g onion syrup to 8 g balsamic vinegar 

Serve: 

• Add 30g onion-balsamic shrub in Libby 7.5oz cup. 
• Top with nitro cold brew. For the at-home enthusiasts, this can be accomplished with an iSi nitro charger. 
• Garnish with chives and a pickled carrot. 

Check out the Assume Nothing series, and if you are in the Bay Area, stop by The Crown to taste the seasonal signature beverage.