Like any good, locally handcrafted, curated liqueur, there’s always a groovy backstory. For the squad at Midnight Espresso Coffee Liqueurs, their globally award-winning artisanal coffee liqueur company started small. How small? Let’s just say it was a family affair. “My mother-in-law (and co-Founder, Judy Nelson) started making her coffee liqueur in her kitchen in Missouri in the early 1970s,” says Matt Sargent. “For many years she made her espresso coffee liqueur for fun and enjoyed providing it to family and friends. Back then her favorite ways to enjoy her coffee liqueur were over ice, with cream, mixed in coffee, and over vanilla ice cream.”
In 2012, Nelson passed along her family recipe (and technique) and the rest is history. Now Midnight Espresso Coffee Liqueurs is sharing “a 40-plus-year tradition of friendship, love, and warmth to people everywhere.” The vodka-based adult beverage is made locally in Kansas City with all-natural ingredients and is gluten-free. ($28) “We are proud to say it’s made in the USA,” says Sargent. “We partner with The Roasterie on our highest blend of coffee for our regular and decaffeinated Midnight Espresso.”
Whether enjoyed straight, over ice, mixed with other drinks our poured over ice cream, the oh-so “smooth” liqueur has a never-ending appeal. “We have many recipes on our website,” he says. “We have people telling us they are now using it as a special ingredient in their cakes, brownies, Bundt cakes, scones, or coffee cakes. Our favorite though? The Midnight Espresso Manhattan.”