Louisville-based Copper & Kings American Brandy Co. has announced its two latest copper pot-distilled luxury cordials: Destillaré Café, a coffee liqueur built with a cold brew natural coffee foundation, and Destillaré Chocolat, a chocolate liqueur using cocoa nibs steeped in brandy process.
The cordials join an expanding Destillaré lineup that already includes Orange Curaçao and Pomegranate liqueurs.
Both liqueurs use an aged Copper & Kings American Brandy base, have no added artificial colors or flavors, and are non-chill filtered. The liqueurs are at Destillaré’s standard 90 proof and are sweetened with honey.
“Destillaré’s mission is to provide bartenders with exceptional tools to build the most delicious, inventive cocktails that they possibly can,” says Copper & Kings Founder, Joe Heron. “Bartenders have thirsty imaginations, and we see them as the most inventive alchemists and magicians. Cordials are very exciting for us, not only for the creative palette they provide, but that for a category of such enormous size, there’s not been a lot of new thinking and innovation, and bartenders are looking for tools to expand their own repertoires.”
Says Master Distiller Brandon O’Daniel, “With Café, we take certified fair-trade cold brew made from Arabica coffee beans and add it to the aged brandy in the barrel. We then marry the liquids in the barrels for 6-9 months, adding extra Madagascan vanilla beans, Cardamom pods and coffee beans in the barrel. The spirit is then diluted to proof using cold brew coffee instead of water. Chocolat uses a similar process, but with added Caribbean cocoa nibs in the barrel, also for 6-9 months, and then diluted with a custom steeping of cocoa nibs in reverse osmosis filtered water. They are very balanced, very smooth, highly aromatic, and viscous without being syrupy and sticky.”
Destillaré Café is recommended for an Espresso Martini, or a White Russian that “The Dude” would approve of. Destillaré Chocolat is ideal in an elevated Brandy Alexander, or a Dark Sidecar or Margarita Negra with mezcal. When combined, the liqueurs make a Brandy Alejandro, or Oaxaca Mocha with mezcal. Also: both make for boozy milkshakes.
The suggested retail price for both Destillaré Intense Café and Destillaré Intense Chocolat is $35 per 750-ml. bottle.
