Tenth Ward Bottle Club Release: Coffee Tequila Liqueur
Written by Monica Pearce, Boss Lady
Remember that Reposado Tequila we released to our Bottle Club? Well, we weren’t quite finished with it.
When a distillery friend closed up shop, we rescued a batch of their tequila—because that’s what friends (and tequila lovers) do! We brought it home to Maryland, gave it the Tenth Ward treatment, and rested it in our smoked bourbon barrels.
Then we let it keep resting.
Since its last release, that tequila has continued barrel aging, picking up even more character from the oak.
And because leaving well enough alone has never really been our thing, we decided it was time to turn it into something completely different.
Enter: Coffee Tequila Liqueur.
How it’s Made
Our story starts with tequila made from Blue Weber agave, harvested, cooked, fermented, and distilled in Mexico. Tequila is a protected spirit and can only be produced from Blue Weber agave within specific regions covered by Mexico’s Tequila Denomination of Origin.
After making its way to Maryland, we put our own spin on it by aging the tequila in Tenth Ward smoked bourbon barrels.
For this release, we took that already barrel-aged tequila and built layer upon layer of flavor through a series of macerations.
We infused it with espresso grounds, cacao nibs, dried orange peel and vanilla beans, allowing each ingredient to bring something different to the final spirit. We then sweetened the finished blend to transform our barrel-aged tequila into a rich, complex coffee liqueur.
The espresso brings the obvious coffee punch, but this definitely isn’t just coffee-flavored tequila. Cacao adds dark chocolate depth, vanilla rounds everything out, and orange peel gives it a little brightness that keeps all those darker flavors from getting too heavy.
Basically, we took tequila, put it in a smoked bourbon barrel, let it hang out for a while longer, added coffee, chocolate, orange, and vanilla, and turned it into a liqueur.
Because apparently we don’t know how to leave anything alone.
Production Notes
Base Spirit: Barrel-aged tequila made from Blue Weber agave
Barrel Aging: Aged in Tenth Ward smoked bourbon barrels and allowed to continue aging beyond the original Reposado Tequila Bottle Club release
Macerations: Espresso grounds, cacao nibs, dried orange peel and vanilla beans
Finishing: Sweetened and proofed to create a rich, balanced coffee tequila liqueur
Tasting Notes
Fresh espresso and roasted coffee hit first on the nose, followed by dark cocoa, warm vanilla and a little orange zest.
On the palate, expect bold coffee and bittersweet chocolate up front, with caramelized oak and subtle smoke from the barrel underneath. Vanilla softens the edges while dried orange peel adds just enough citrus to brighten things up.
The finish is smooth, rich and lingering, with roasted espresso, cacao, sweet agave, vanilla and oak hanging around long after the sip.
Coffee liqueur? Yes.
Tequila? Also yes.
Ordinary? Absolutely not.
Thanks for reading, and please keep loving the fun stuff!
– Monica
How to Mix It
Espresso Martini
2 oz Tenth Ward Coffee Tequila Liqueur
1 oz fresh-brewed espresso, cooled down
.25 oz simple syrup
Caramel popcorn garnish
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish.
For Brunch!
1 oz Tenth Ward Coffee Tequila Liqueur
.5 oz Baileys or cream-based liqueur
Your fave coffee
Pour all ingredients into a coffee mug.
Tenth Ward Revolver
1 oz Tenth Ward Coffee Tequila Liqueur
1 oz Tenth Ward Smoked Bourbon
3 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel garnish
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish.
How do I get my hands on it???
This release is made exclusively for members of Tenth Ward’s Bottle Club.
Bottle Club members get access to our specialty quarterly bottle releases, along with member-only perks, events and specialty menu items at our Cocktail Bar. And yes—the club is free to join.
Not a member yet? Check out the Bottle Club and sign up here.
Because life’s too short for boring booze.
#wardoffordinary
