Don’t be basic this International Coffee Day; leave the usual coffee cakes and latte art to Instagram. Instead, change it up with one of these incredible Aussie craft coffee liqueurs.
Coffee is so much part of our lives these days, International Coffee Day should be bigger than Christmas!. I certainly can’t function without my cup of joe in the morning.
So when the creative force that is Aussie craft distilling turns its considerable skills and imagination to focus on coffee, you know amazing things will come of it.
From fancying up a scoop of ice cream to elaborate coffee-forward cocktails–or even just on the rocks, these coffee liqueurs are the dynamic unsung treasure of the Aussie craft spirits industry.
Here you get to see distillers play with techniques and flavours not normally used with other spirits.
Check out our top 15 Aussie craft coffee spirits that’ll set up your International Coffee Day!
Inspired by hundreds of years of Italian tradition passed down through this family-owned distillery, this bitter-sweet liqueur is made with local in mind.
From the vodka to the organic coffee to the honey from the nearby hills, this is the taste of Byron Bay.
A cunning blend of Mexican, Brazilian and Papuan coffee alongside native wattleseed, cacao, coconut and Davidson plum, this sumptuous liqueur understands the coffee culture of Australia.
Check out Applewood’s own cocktail The Magpie to see how best to use this one.
Made with fair-trade Honduran coffee and hand-crafted vodka, Antipodes’ Espresso small-batch spirit is also Australia’s first certified organic coffee liqueur.
Its luxurious richness turns ice cream into the ultimate dessert and your espresso martini into something other-worldly.
A true craft coffee liqueur, the Dark Night is a clever combo of Colombian coffee beans, toasted rice and cane sugar worked into Reed’s superb grain-based gin spirit.
The result is a balanced bitter sweet coffee liqueur with just the right ABV of 30%.
A true Aussie darling, Mr Black is the OG cold-brew coffee liqueur.
Doing double the work not only distilling the wheat-based vodka but also roasting and cold-brewing the coffee, Mr Black’s liqueur from Erina NSW is a true coffee masterpiece.
This iteration of Mr Black’s cold brew coffee liqueur has additional citrus and bittering flavours from grapefruit, orange peel and gentian that lets this spirit sit well in coffee-forward cocktails but also with tonic for a refreshing spritz.
Honouring the nurtured coffee culture Australia has become famous for, this beachy coffee liqueur uses sustainably and responsibly sourced coffee beans as well as native botanicals and sea minerals to bring you a smooth yet sassy bitter-sweet spirit that’s dangerously drinkable.
Cold-brewing the best coffee from around the world with the pure waters that run through Lawrenny Estate in Tasmania, this liqueur is only going to be delicious.
The distiller adds local bush and meadow honey, toasted wattle seed, vanilla bean, nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa to create a balanced, rich mocha-style spirit.
Sourcing their coffee that’s freshly roasted and ground nearby the distillery in Botany, NSW, Marty and Ed Svehla blend two types of sugar and seven botanicals to bring a creaminess and spice to their coffee liqueur that is unlike any other.
Using single origin coffee from Far North Queensland, The Barista is about as Aussie as you can get!
The result is a bold coffee flavour with hints of vanilla and a touch of sweetness along with a purity that cannot be faulted.
This liqueur from Wolf Lane will fix up your espresso martini and have you howling at the moon!
Coming from the greenest most sustainable distillery in the world, you’d expect this coffee liqueur to be a bit different from the rest.
Using his paddock-to-bottle white rye spirit and grappa as a base, distiller Peter Bignell has created a delicious nutty liqueur with a rich thick texture perfect for desserts, espresso martinis or ‘blessing your coffee’.
Learn more about the enigma that is Peter Bignell in our Meet the Distiller interview with him here.
The perfect addition to your home bar, this coffee liqueur is as tasty as it is versatile.
Utilising the spice and boldness of Arabica beans, this liqueur is ideal for espresso martinis or for mixing with milk for a hard iced coffee.
From the northernmost tip of Tasmania’s western horn, Cape Grim 666 (pronounced ‘triple six’ by the way) crafts vodka with the world’s purest rainwater.
Cold-brewing coffee from Italian St. ALi beans directly into the vodka and infusing native wattleseed, this wonderful vodka adds an extra dimension to the cocktails you use it in.
A vodka for the coffee connoisseur, Cold Drop uses single-origin beans from Brother Baba Budan to bring you an unsweetened deeply aromatic spirit that upgrades your espresso martini and laces a spiced cola with its elegant yet powerful flavours.
In spite of its name, you’ll still be surprised at just how velvet-creamy this liqueur is.
Even more surprisingly, this is a wine-based liqueur as opposed to spirit-based, and adds a whole new dimension to your after-dinner coffee or just over ice on its own.
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