I've been searching for this for quite some time. One of the greatest beverage combinations in the history of mankind (better than both chocolate added to milk, and beer added to hot sauce), is a nice pint of Guinness doctored with a freshly pulled shot of espresso. The flavor combination is a match made in heaven, and the low alcohol content and a little caffeine combine for a perfect afternoon drink.
A coffee bar in Washington, D.C., by the name of Tryst has been making this drink and calling it the Dufrain for years now. I used to sit at their copper bar and drink a coffee or two while reading the paper, and when I was ready for a drink, switch over to this combination as a way to gradually transition into a leisurely weekend afternoon.
I've tried to find the same thing here in Dallas since I moved more than a year and a half ago without much luck.
I tried ordering a modification at Jonathon's Oak Cliff once, but it lead to disaster. The restaurant didn't have Guinness but they did have Left Hand Milk Stout. Unfortunately the beer exploded into a geyser of foam the second the bartender added the espresso. We were left with a flat and messy disaster.
The folks at Oak Lawn Coffee said they could make me one if I brought them a Guinness Draft can. I suppose that would work, but it hardly seems right. Who wants to stop at the beer store before going for a coffee in the early afternoon?
Oddfellows has beer and coffee, but they won't carry Guinness. I think it's a bit too mainstream. It seems that every coffee shop that serves beer here in Dallas doesn't have Guinness on the menu as well -- until recently, that is.
I'm sorry to write about Ascension again -- I know they've received plenty of press since they've opened -- but I can't contain my enthusiasm. The coffee shop makes use of draft bottles, which isn't ideal, but I'm willing to make some concessions so that coffee and Guinness can be back in my life once again.
The combination isn't on the menu, but if you ask, I'm sure they'll whip one up. Maybe if we all order enough of them, the drink could become a permanent fixture. We could even give it our own name. I never once heard a decent explanation of how the drink ended up referred to as the Dufrain.
