Cranberries, Cocoa Butter, and Caffeine: The Falalalala Lalala Latte
Image via Doshi House's Instagram page.
Here's proof that Instagram works really well when used intelligently (i.e., not the way I use it, which is posting endless photos of my dog): on my way back to work from lunch, sitting through a long stoplight, I was scrolling through Instagram when the image above popped into my photo stream. The caption read: "Made from Raw Organic edible Cocoa Butter, Cranberries, & Peppermint. Here for a limited time, so don't miss out!!!"
Doshi House
3419 Dowling St.
713-528-0060
doshihouse.com
Perhaps because of that third and final exclamation mark, I found myself at Doshi House only 15 minutes later to see what this Falalalala Lalala Latte was all about.
David Buehrer of Blacksmith helped owner Deepak Doshi with the coffee set-up when Doshi House first opened over two years ago, and Doshi still buys his coffee from Buehrer. Couple this with Doshi House's determined creativity in coming up with drinks and dishes that are both healthy and delicious, and you have a recipe for what could be a killer holiday drink.
The Falalalala Lalala Latte at Doshi House
Image: Katharine Shilcutt
Sure enough, the Falalalala Lalala Latte delivered. Though ordering it is reminiscent of those old IHOP commercials for the Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity breakfast platters, it's worth the tongue-twisting silliness for a drink that's tartly sweet and refreshingly minty, with an incredibly creamy texture thanks to the addition of edible cocoa butter.
Cocoa butter—which you may be more familiar with in its body lotion form—is the edible fat that's extracted from cocoa beans as part of the chocolate-making process. The butter has only trace amounts of caffeine and theobromine left behind, though it does retain a slightly chocolatey aroma. This "healthy" fat is packed with antioxidants, though at the expense of a big caloric punch. That said, Doshi House melts down a bit of cocoa butter with cranberries and peppermint to make a syrup for its Falalalala Lalala Latte, so you're only getting enough of that cocoa butter to make things interesting.
Over a cup this afternoon, Deepak Doshi said that plans are well underway to expand Doshi House, adding more square footage to the rear of the coffeehouse-slash-restaurant-slash-neighborhood-art-space. He's even applied for a beer and wine permit, meaning that the popular BYOB evening meals could become fancier affairs in the new year.
