You may remember when our members got an exclusive first look at Darling Distillery’s coffee gin as one of their monthly add-ons—an early taste of this unique and exciting release! Taking Darling Gin directly from the still, cacao nibs, roasted hazelnuts and roasted wattleseed are added, macerated and soaked for 7 days. Alongside this, specialty coffee from a neighbouring coffee roaster is cold-brewed in water for 7 days. After the week is up, both liquids are filtered and combined, plus a touch of sweetness using dates. The result is a unique, full-strength 38% Coffee Gin, with no added sugar. ‘We did go through a long period of product development with this, having so many variables meant a lot of trial and – luckily not so much error, but – balancing. We trialled whole vs. ground hazelnuts and wattleseed, different levels of roast in the hazelnuts, coffee roasts and strengths, sweetness from the dates and even methods of coffee extraction. Our first trial of brewing coffee directly in gin was horrific!’ Being a full-strength spirit that is crafted from a true gin base with no added sugar makes this a very unique drop. Other similar products are predominantly liqueurs made from a base spirit of ethanol with the addition of a lot of sugar. The icing on the cake setting Darling’s Coffee gin apart is the effort and care they go for a top notch flavour; grinding and cold brewing freshly roasted coffee beans, rather than turning to coffee flavoured concentrates. For those that love a full flavoured gin with a smooth mouthfeel and prefer to steer clear from a sticky sweet liqueur, we cannot recommend this enough! Creamy roasted hazelnut, cacao and wattleseed are a match made in heaven for the buttery esters in their Darling Gin. When it comes to a full strength gin and decadent liqueur flavours, Darling’s Coffee Gin offers the very best of both worlds. INGREDIENTS 60ml Darling Coffee Gin 60ml (double shot) espresso 15ml sugar syrup (optional) GARNISH Three coffee beans or an orange twist METHOD Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake until frosted. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish.
