signature drinks

so every barista that competes on a regional level knows about the terror of having to create a signature beverage and be judged on how good it tastes, smells, texture ,etc. the signature beverage is a drink that has at least one shot of espresso, and has ingredients that enhance the flavor profile of the espresso, and really embodies a barista's passion for coffee. last year, i made a drink that was not unlike a macchiato. at the base of a 3 oz glass, i mixed raw cocoa and heavy cream, then poured a shot of 'spro on top, then topped that with some milk foam made with milk that had been infused with cherries and orange zest. i thought it really brought out the qualities of the espresso blend that i was using. but i didnt score high on creativity. but from looking at my scoresheets, judges seemed to enjoy the drink and my explanation, but not creative enough. damn shawty. i thought that my drink was the jam (though it had ALOT of prep). so after competition, i went back to the drawing board. i really wanted to embody the great sweet citrus quality of the 'spro. i also wanted to highlight the coffee and it's origins and it's quality. so, i decided to use ingredients that are grown between the tropics of cancer and capricorn for my drink. that included alot of tropical fruits, cane sugar, limes, coconuts, macadamia nuts. so why not use all of those?
yesterday, i made my first run of sig bevs for the people i was working with at the shop. first, i rimmed a glass with lime and dipped it into raw cane sugar, then some coconut milk in the bottom of the glass with a shot of 'spro over it and finished with a drop of macadamia nut oil. it was pretty damn good. a bit too sweet perhaps, buti'm going to tweak it until i'm ready to present it again. but overall, i think this may be the path i choose for highlighting my espresso at the next regionals.
i'm also thinking of including some other ingredients such as mango and nutmeg, perhaps cocoa and also cayenne(???)
until next time.......