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FAIR Cafe Liqueur
About FAIR Cafe Liqueur
FAIR Cafe Liqueur is produced by FAIR, a France-based brand in the Congac region that creates a variety of spirits including liqueurs, vodka, rum, and gin. FAIR takes great pride in the fact that their ingredients are sourced using fair trade practices which support farming communities in other countries.
This particular bottle of FAIR Cafe Liqueur is made with Arabica coffee beans from a local co-op in Mexico, as well as fair trade certified sugar. After a slow roasting process, the coffee beans are then macerated for three weeks in a vodka base before bottling.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 22%
❖ Distillery: Undisclosed
❖ Aging: N/A
❖ Price Point: lower moderate price
Tasting Notes
Nose:
❖ roasted coffee
❖ chocolate
❖ fudge
❖ nutty
Palate:
❖ hazelnut
❖ chocolate
❖ coffee
My Tasting notes
I took a whiff of this liqueur, and there was a subtle wave of coffee aroma alongside strong vodka notes. There is also a slight olive-like scent in the background. Overall, the aroma is quite smooth.
I began to take a sip, and the flavor was immediately sweet. The blend of flavors melted onto my tongue, and finished with a slight bitterness. The coffee flavor was a bit more subtle than I expected, but still very nice. There is a nice level of sweetness overall.
I was extremely impressed with the smoothness of the flavor. Normally, I have a problem with coffee liqueurs that use a vodka base, as I personally think coffee and vodka clash on the palate. However, this particular liqueur barely had any vodka flavor at all, which was a pleasant surprise. Although it’s not specified, I suspect that this coffee liqueur is made using quinoa vodka, as this is one of the brand’s other products. If I’m correct, then quinoa flavor seems to pair much better with coffee to create a nicely balanced product.
Cocktail
For my cocktail, I wanted to create an original drink using the coffee liqueur as the base. I call it the Sloppy Latte Blast!
Sloppy Latte Blast
❖ 2oz coffee liqueur
❖ 1oz vanilla liqueur
❖ 1oz half & half
❖ garnish: crushed coffee beans (to rim the glass)
- Carefully crush a few coffee beans with a muddler.
- Rim a small cocktail glass with simple syrup, and then follow it up with your crushed coffee beans.
- Add ingredients to a shaker filled with ice, and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into your cocktail glass.
I ended up being really happy with my original cocktail. I think the Fair Cafe Liqueur was really able to shine against the cream and vanilla, and there was no vodka aftertaste as I was anticipating. I was very impressed with how this coffee liqueur performed in a cocktail.
Bottom Line
After my tasting, I can officially say that Fair Cafe Liqueur is my favorite coffee liqueur to date. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Although I’m a big coffee lover, it’s actually pretty rare that I enjoy coffee liqueurs because so many of the options are made with a vodka base. However, Fair really stands out because it allows the coffee flavor to really shine – both sipped and within a cocktail.
In addition, I really appreciate the brand’s commitment to fair trade ingredients. It makes me feel good about supporting this company, and I look forward to trying some of their other spirits.
If you’re looking for an affordable coffee liqueur with an ultra smooth flavor, you should definitely give Fair Cafe Liqueur a try.
As always, drink responsibly.
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