Jerry DeFazio loves coffee and whiskey. “I would spike my coffee from time to time, which gave me the original idea,” DeFazio says. The idea became Fliquor Bean, a tonic that combines coffee and whiskey to make the most turbo-charged booze since Four Loko changed its recipe.
As far as we can tell, the 90-proof Fliquor Bean is the first to market “coffee infused whiskey.”
“We brew coffee with whiskey instead of using water, cold brew to be exact,” DeFazio explains, adding that using cold brew produces a different chemical profile from conventional brewing methods. “There are no sweeteners or artificial flavors; just coffee and whiskey,” says DeFazio.
DeFazio started making small batches of whiskey with coffee for friends and family after a barista friend made him a small coffee drip system to experiment with. “I tried many different coffees and whiskeys,” DeFazio says. “The first batch was with Jim Beam and Kirkland coffee. It has come a very long way from there from that first brew in 2013.”
They use a distillery in Bakersfield, California, which has a smooth whiskey that they blend with their small batch custom roasted coffee. “Our whiskey gets its unique flavor from the reclaimed, fire-ravaged oak sourced from the forests on central California’s Piute mountain range,” says DeFazio. The coffee is sourced and custom roasted by a local roaster Demitasse. “Each batch is always a little bit different than the last because we don’t use any additives for a consistent color or flavor.” He adds that the beans will taste subtly different when they are sourced from a new batch. “Each batch is rare in the sense that we will never be able to recreate that flavor from that particular bean,” DeFazio says.
The exact recipe, however, is top secret. “It’s our own proprietary method so I can’t give away exactly how it is made,” he says. “It took a lot of trial and error on my part.” He did reveal that it’s very similar to how you would make cold brewed coffee. “The hard part is finding the right whiskey, coffee bean, roast, grind, and brew time. It is the only coffee-whiskey on the market. From time to time I will dig deep into the web to try and find something else like it. So far I have come up with nothing.”
DeFazio says the best way to enjoy Fliquor Bean is on the rocks. “Just treat it exactly like you would a cold brew you buy at your local coffee shop. Some people add a little water, simple syrup, cream, or coconut water. There is no wrong way to drink it; it all depends on how you enjoy your coffee.”