Indian distillers are now experimenting with coffee liqueur

Artisanal Indian coffee is having its moment with close to 20 artisanal coffee brands launched across the country since the pandemic.. Homegrown Indian spirits are growing at a healthy pace too — Indian single malts overtook scotch sales for the first time this year, and Indian craft spirits dominated drinking patterns according to What India is Drinking 2023, a report by 30 Best Bars India.. Co-founder Ansh Khanna says, “India has some of the world’s best terroir for coffee and we wanted to show that to the world with a a flavour-driven coffee liqueur!” Best enjoyed with ice or an Espresso martini, Bandarful is brewed for over 22 hours, made with Himalayan spring water, and medium-dark, single-estate Arabica coffee beans from Ratnagiri estate in Chikkamagaluru. Rahul Reddy, founder, Subko Coffee Roasters, says, “We have a spirit series which involves taking green coffee beans from Kalledevarapura estate in Chikkamagaluru and ageing them in whisky barrels, in gin, Indian rum and beer. After three months of ageing, we roast the coffee and it presents a naturally flavoured coffee.” For Ashish D’ Abreo, processing coffee, using different conditions and ingredients, has been rewarding, “We have used ale yeast with mildly pulped coffee and it works with the natural sugars beautifully.” With post processing variations altering the flavour profile of the coffee, Dr Kenjige concludes, when it comes to coffee in spirits, the terroir and type of bean matter, as much as how they are treated.