Bordeaux Distilling Co has launched Brunette Clear, a transparent coffee liqueur it says is the first of its kind.
The organic liqueur (rsp: £31/70cl) is made from arabica beans sourced from Honduras and Ethiopia, along with cascara (the outer skin of the coffee cherry) and coffee blossom from Guatemala.
Cascara and coffee blossom are byproducts of coffee production that are often discarded, contributing to the 20 million tonnes of waste produced by the coffee industry each year according to Bordeaux Distilling Co.
To make Brunette Clear, the two ingredients are soaked in organic grain alcohol for two weeks, then gently distilled at low temperatures using a rotary evaporator – a piece of equipment that removes alcohol under a vacuum.
This allowed the “floral and fruity notes” of the ingredients to be captured without heat damage, Bordeaux Distilling Co said.
A third clear distillate is created by re-distilling a byproduct from the brand’s cold brew liqueur. The three distillates are blended together and left to rest for six months, during which the alcohol level is slowly reduced to 22% abv.
The result was a smooth, clear coffee liqueur that could be enjoyed neat or in cocktails, Bordeaux Distilling Co said.
Brunette Clear contained four times less sugar than mainstream coffee liqueurs on the market, along with no additives or colourings, the supplier added.
In the UK, the liqueur will be distributed by London-based importer and distributor Love Drinks.
“When it comes to innovation and craft, Bordeaux Distilling Co continue to raise the bar and its latest iteration is a clear winner,” said Love Drinks managing director Samantha Burke. “Far from style over substance, Brunette Clear not only tackles waste in a wasteful industry but allows mixologists to take coffee flavours to new elegant and exciting frontiers.”
Founded in 2018, the Bordeaux Distillery’s products – which include whiskies and gins as well as liqueurs – are predominantly sold in specialist retail in the UK.
The distillery is not the first to experiment with waste product from coffee in alcohol production.
In 2018, William Grant & Sons launched Discarded – a spirits brand focused on reusing waste ingredients. Its debut release Cascara Vermouth is made from cascara that is blended into fortified wine.
Last year, Sussex-based distiller Murray & Yeatman introduced Realizzato – a coffee liqueur made from upcycled coffee grounds.
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