As a cocktail connoisseur and devoted espresso drinker, I’ve discovered loads to thrill in as espresso cocktails proceed to develop in reputation. As we explored in our vacation drinks function, bartenders are experimenting with the ingredient in a number of varieties, from concentrates and syrups to the numerous wonderful espresso liqueurs available on the market. However much less usually seen (on U.S. cabinets, anyway) is coffee-flavored amaro. So the brand new Cafe Amaro from Pennsylvania espresso roasters Char & Stave intrigued me.

Based by the parents behind Pennsylvania’s Bluebird Distilling, Char & Stave describes the enterprise as “espresso made by whiskey folks.” Their flagship roast is a bourbon barrel–aged espresso. So it’s unsurprising that their latest launch is a spirited duo with a regular espresso liqueur and the aforementioned Cafe Amaro. Utilizing Bluebird Distilling Vodka as the bottom, the espresso liqueur is infused with Char & Stave’s Arabica beans. To make the amaro, the espresso liqueur sees the addition of citrus and botanicals together with cardamom, chamomile, lemon peel, grapefruit peel, and gentian root.

The earthy, chocolatey flavors of the espresso are a pure match with vivid and bitter botanicals. And the ensuing bittersweet amaro is paying homage to a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. The Cafe Amaro would play effectively in a Negroni riff. Or attempt it in any espresso liqueur software the place you need to dial up the complexity. Personally, I’d put together it as a shakerato (merely shake with ice, then pressure) for a pleasant, one-ingredient digestif cocktail. $39.99, bluebirddistilling.com