Forthave Spirits, 'Brown' Coffee Liqueur 750ml

Coffee Liqueur

24% ABV

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Batch info: Collab with Parlor Coffee. Single origin Caturra and Colombia varieties grown by Maria Bercelia Martinez in Columbia. Roasted in Brooklyn. Combination of cold brew extraction and ground bean maceration.

Forthave’s exploration into botanical spirits here turns laser-focused on a single botanical—the coffee bean—with each batch featuring a different single-origin bean sourced from a handful of growers and roasted in collaboration with a local roaster. By blending a long cold-water maceration with a spirit maceration, Forthave showcases a full spectrum of coffee bean flavors from light, bright fruit to rich umami notes.

Founded in 2016 by two friends, painter Aaron Sing Fox and writer/producer Daniel de la Nuez, Forthave Spirits produces botanical spirits and liqueurs in Brooklyn, New York. Drawing inspiration from historical recipes and traditional techniques—and utilizing a library of over 200 botanicals—Forthave carefully approaches every aspect of its production and supply chain to craft natural and delicious small-batch products.

Named after fifteenth-century botanist Richard Forthave, who is credited for creating a popular plague-combatting elixir known as Forthave’s Vinegar (also commonly known as “Four Thieves Vinegar”), Forthave Spirits was born of a curiosity to explore how some of Fox and de la Nuez’s favorite botanical liqueurs were produced. Their research led them to the ancient medicinal recipes in which today’s spirits and liqueurs are rooted and inspired the two to craft their own amaro. What began as a makeshift kitchen operation to produce small experimental batches of amari to share with friends and colleagues grew bit by bit, piece by piece, until demand necessitated the leap to becoming a licensed distillery.

Drawing from a library of botanicals that includes over 200 different types of herbs, roots, barks, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds—almost all of which are USDA organically certified with the few exceptions that are wild foraged or grown by small uncertified farmers—Forthave’s spirits and liqueurs are handcrafted in small batches. An organic, non-GMO neutral sugarcane distillate from Brazil acts as the base spirit, providing the best canvas to showcase their botanicals, and the only sweeteners used are organic turbinado sugar and raw honey locally sourced from an apiary in Ithaca, New York. Maceration occurs in stainless steel tanks and the Brooklyn distillery sports a 400-liter bain-marie hybrid pot still with a stainless steel kettle and a copper column. In keeping with traditional production methods, Forthave does not use artificial filtering agents, colors, or extracts.