Mr Black

Coffee liqueurs are a staple of many a bar and restaurant, with the likes of Tia Maria and Kahlua some of the mainstays. But as with a lot of spirits these past few years, there’s been a call for some re-imagination.

Mr Black, the cold press coffee liqueur, is such that.

Back in 2012, two Australian’s from Sydney going by the name of Tom Baker (designer) and Philip Moore (one of Australia’s highest awarded distillers) united over their love of coffee. Over 9 months of trials followed to create Mr Black, the first all coffee liqueur, resulting in a gold medal at the London International Wine and Spirits competition.

But to get to such triumphs, what makes the cold press such an important aspect to Mr Black?

Different coffee beans are used, resulting in a variety of roasting profiles and different flavours. Specifically, Brazilian Arabica (a combination of the more traditional French roast and a lighter roast), Ethiopean Djimmah (a light-medium roast that offers fruit, toffee and chocolate flavours) and PNG (offers a zesty, citrus orange marmalade flavour). To gain such flavours from the beans though, Mr Black uses cold-extraction. A process that is done at significantly lower temperatures to espresso (23 degrees), resulting in a less acidic brew yet an abundance of the coffee bean flavours. Creating a coffee that can stand up to blending with spirits though is a different matter, and Mr Black use a significantly higher coffee-to-water ratio as well as a longer steep time than traditional cold brew.

So how does it fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes –

Mr Black – 25%

Freshly brewed espresso notes on the nose, with an underlining citrus zest coming through. Slightly bitter upon the palate, yet balanced out with roasted chocolate, caramel and hints of toffee. A lingering finish.

Does exactly what it says on the bottle, and make a cracking cocktail, a recipe taken from www.onyamagazine.com:

Something very different indeed, and from the Australians, the country that really knows how to offer artisan coffee houses and liquids. Worthy of a place within your drinks cabinet for sure.

© David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to David Marsland and Drinks Enthusiast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.