From stouts to spirits, there’s nothing like the rich smell of coffee and a spike of booze to wake you up. The coffee enthusiasts who like to spend time reading about the latest coffees on sites such as thefullmooncafe.com may not be too familiar with adding alcohol into their beverage, but you can certainly add some excitement to your weekend morning cup of joe or your nightcap with these coffee-infused alcohols.
McMenamins Coffee Liqueur
Whether you’re looking for a restaurant, lodging, live show, coffee, cider, beer or spirits, McMenamins has it all. This PNW jack-of-all-trades also produces a coffee liqueur out of its Edgefield Distillery in Troutdale, Oregon. The distillery blends a house-roasted Ethiopian Sidamo coffee into its liqueur to create this rich spirit. Silky meets spicy in this liqueur and there is no denying this 40 proof will give a sure kick to your brew.
Elysian Split Stout
There’s nothing Northwesterners hold with more pride than craft beer and coffee. Elysian’s spring seasonal release brings the best of both worlds. The Seattle brewing company partnered with the Portland’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters to create a true Northwest collaboration brew. Dark and with Magnum hops.
Seattle Cider Co. Cold Brew
Step into Seattle Cider’s tasting room for this draft-only release, a taste of cold brew in cider form. Their coffee of choice is a decaf Costa Rican blonde roast from nearby Fulcrum Coffee, brewed for sixteen hours and mixed with a semi-dry cider featuring Granny Smith, Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Gala apples. The off-dry cider balances well with the acidic coffee, with hints of caramel and vanilla to create a full coffee shop of flavors in a cider.
Crater Lake Hazelnut Espresso Vodka
Tucked into the now-snowcapped hills of Central Oregon, you can find Bendistllery’s Crater Lake Spirits production facility spreading warmth with craft beverage. The Hazelnut Espresso Vodka uses fresh coffee, hazelnuts and brown cane sugar to create a dark but elegant spirit. Try it in one of the house cocktail recipes such as a simple spike in an Iced Chai Latte or in a Black Gold with Amaretto and Irish cream.
Eastside Distilling Hue-Hue Coffee Rum
A splash of rum in your coffee? More like a splash of coffee in your rum. Eastside Distilling and Portland Roasting Co., both out of the Rose City, released this 70-proof rum, a cold brew from lightly roasted Arabica coffee beans hailing from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, mixed with silver rum and a pinch of Demerara sugar. Drink it in one of Eastside’s cocktail recipes, such as the Portland Dude or the Dropkick Murphy.
Rogue Ales Fresh Roast
Out of Newport, Oregon, Rogue features a handful of coffee-, nutty- and chocolate-flavored beers in its vast line-up. The award-winning Fresh Roast beer is made with Rogue farm barley thrown directly from the roaster to the brew kettle for the freshest pour. Its flavors embody all the notes of a freshly brewed cup of coffee without adding any actual coffee. It also includes freshly roasted malts and Rebel hops to boot. More of a coffee-inspired beer than one brewed with coffee, Rogue’s full-on coffee ales like the Cold Brew IPA and Cold Brew 2.0 blonde ale both feature coffee from Stumptown in the beer.
