Berries and Cream – Tenth Ward’s first cream based liqueur!
Written by Kachentha Bennett, Distiller, Tenth Ward Distilling
You’ve spent time with loved ones around the table at Thanksgiving, survived the holiday season madness more or less intact, and rung in the New Year with gusto. Look at you, so busy! Now it’s time to pump the brakes and relax a bit by hunkering down into some plush blankets and jammies (Thanks Aunt Patty!) and putting on some favorite movies. However, your glass is empty – let’s fix that with a pour of this quarter’s Bottle Club release Berries and Cream Liqueur.
Ooh, what’s this?
Just because Santa’s elves are on break now, doesn’t mean our production team has stopped. We have been hard at work coming up with something truly out of the ordinary for you to enjoy during the January gloom. Inspired by the wintry fruity flavors of our Very Berry Cocktail on draft at the Cocktail Lab, we decided to put a creamy twist on it. This cream-based liqueur was crafted with a rum infusion of blackberry, clove, allspice, white pepper, nutmeg, and Earl Grey. It is smooth, sweet, with a little bit of spice to pique your tastebuds.
The Process
Although this liqueur is easy to appreciate, the work behind the scenes was much more detailed and carefully carried out than one would expect. Working with a cream base involves very precise monitoring and mixing of components as it is very easy to throw off the pH balance of the dairy base which could result in the components separating. Our process started by infusing the Earl Grey and spices into a high proof neutral cane spirit. This was used as a base to create an extract. The base was then blended with a blackberry puree and the mixture was added to our bulk batched cream liqueur. By employing this technique we were able to control and set the ABV and pH, point by point in order to ensure optimal quality both in flavor profile and quality.
Nose: Rich yet light sweetness, fruit and herbal blossoms.
Taste: Creamy mouth feel, immediate notes of berry, slight baking spice with a herbal tea and balanced tannic finish.
How to Mix It
Berries and Cream Lime Pie
1.5 oz Tenth Ward Berries and Cream
1 oz Rum
0.5 oz lime juice
0.25 oz simple syrup
crushed graham cracker
lime wheel
whipped cream
Rim a glass with graham cracker crust. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into glass. Top with ice and garnish with a lime wheel and whipped cream.
After Dinner Aperitif
2 oz Tenth Ward Berries and Cream
Nutmeg
3 raspberries
3 blackberries
Pour liqueur into a glass over ice. Shave whole nutmeg over the drink. Garnish with raspberries and blackberries.
Nuts and Berries
2 oz Tenth Ward Berries and Cream
1.5 oz hazelnut liqueur
Shaved nutmeg
Pour ingredients into a glass, fill with ice and stir. Top with shaved nutmeg.
How do I get my hands on it???
You can sign up today for free. Bottle Club members get all the perks at Tenth Ward, including having access to exclusive cocktail menu items, four amazing Bottle Club-only releases per year, special invites to Bottle Club-only events, and more. Starting this month we now offer shipping throughout Maryland and DC! Just check out our blog about the Perks of Being a Bottle Club Member here.
