{Espresso Martini from The Fountain on Locust}
Plan A was to recommend that you hit the annual Maplewood Coffee Crawl tomorrow. If you’ve registered for the sorry-no-spaces-left event, well, lucky you, you’re in for a fun, caffeine-filled morning. Don’t have a spot? We’re partial to Plan B: Sleep late then take a self-guided coffee crawl of your own and get more than a caffeine fix. Here are three spots where you can stop in for a jolt of java – along with a jigger or two of alcohol.
The Fountain on Locust opens daily at 11 a.m. (noon on Sundays), so hit this esoteric ice cream parlor and restaurant first. If you just want a jazzed up hot coffee drink, go for the Magnum Opus (rum, hazelnut liqueur, Irish Cream liqueur and hot coffee topped with whipped cream). For a taste of The Fountain at its finest, order an ice cream martini. For one spiked with coffee flavor, pick the Espresso Martini, a rich combination of fresh brewed coffee, vanilla vodka, coffee liqueur and Irish Cream ice cream.
Next up, head to Foam on Cherokee Street where you can space out at this neighborhood coffeehouse and bar while sipping on a Kosmonaut, a white Russian that also holds an espresso shot of Northwest coffee. If you lounge around Foam long enough, you’ll be able to catch live entertainment, which starts at 9 p.m. On Saturday, this means tunes by singer-songwriter Lenny Mink. (There is a $5 cover.)
There’s no better place to cap off an intoxicating coffee excursion than Baileys’ Chocolate Bar. The Baileys’ Ice Cream Martini is a crowd-pleaser, but if you’ve got the fortitude for potency, go for Fragile Baby. The Frangelico and Baileys Irish Cream turns this into a kicker of a warm coffee martini.
Too caffeinated to sleep? Get comfy on the couch, and then consume classic mocha moments from Hollywood. Our flick picks: Coffee and Cigarettes or Glengarry Glen Ross, with Alex Baldwin’s admonition to, “Put that coffee down!”
This article appears in April 2013.