I was going to try to recreate the post I made on 4/7/10 before communist fifth columnists who hate freedom destroyed it, but under the conditions of exceptional insobriety courtesy of the nice people at the St. George Distillery that’s not going to happen. They have just held a release party for the Firelit coffee liqueur to which I was invited and do not hesitate to recommend. Imagine, if you will, Kahlua that…well…doesn’t suck.
Kahlua has always been a problematic mixer in my bar as it tended to lend more of a chocolate character to cocktails than coffee. It is syrupy and tends to stick to the palate. As a man with Brimley Disease (AKA Type II Diabetes), this is a sure fire signal that I probably shouldn’t be drinking it or anything using it.
Enter Firelit. Using Bluebottle coffee and a brandy base, the Firelit liqueur manages to capture the essence of the coffee in a manner similar to the Black Blood of the Earth without turning it into treacle. It is has all the flavor but the lightness of brandy that makes it a pleasure to consume on it’s own. I cannot even begin to conceive of taking shots of Kahlua without serious cash money and honor being on the line.
The fact that the K value of caffeine in ethanol is not far off from water means that there is a bit of caffeine kick to it. One BBotE test subject who picked up a bottle of Firelit, excited about having “coffee but able to sleep afterward” was sorely disappointed when she found herself still awake at 4am after having a glass at 9pm.
I am to understand that it is currently sold only in California but that it can be ordered in most of our fair union. K&L is my shipper of choice.
And now, bed. Maybe. I’ll be lying down at the very least.