West Midlands Distillery Dr Eamers’ Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur

West Midlands Distillery Dr Eamers’ Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is a rich, smooth and brilliantly practical coffee liqueur created with one thing very much in mind: making a seriously good Espresso Martini without needing an espresso machine. It combines West Midlands Distillery’s English pot-distilled vodka with a 16-hour cold brew made from 100% Arabica coffee beans, Madagascan vanilla and organic blossom syrup. The result is intensely coffee-led but softer and rounder than a hot-brewed espresso-based liqueur, with freshly roasted coffee, dark chocolate and toasted bean flavours supported by vanilla and a gentle floral sweetness. At 21.7% ABV it has enough strength to carry a cocktail while remaining wonderfully smooth served simply over ice. The clever bit is that the vodka, coffee and sweetness you would normally add separately to an Espresso Martini are already balanced inside the bottle: the distillery recommends just 75ml of liqueur with 25ml water, shaken hard with ice. It was developed over several years at the distillery’s own cocktail bar, so rather than being another coffee-flavoured spirit, it has effectively been designed backwards from the finished drink.

West Midlands Distillery Dr Eamers’ Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, Producer

West Midlands Distillery is an independent family distillery founded in 2017 in the heart of the West Midlands. The business began producing gin, rum and vodka while working towards a longer-term ambition of making its own English single malt whisky. Whisky casks were eventually laid down from 2021, and in August 2024 the distillery bottled what it describes as the first whisky produced in the county of West Midlands, followed by its first commercial single malt release in July 2025. Production remains deliberately small-scale and hands-on, with the distillery operating from Rowley Regis and its Waterfront site at Merry Hill. Its four 100% copper pot stills are named Doris, Lenny, Patricia and Sharon after members of the family, reinforcing the family identity behind the business.

Dr Eamers’ is the distillery’s range of handcrafted spirits, built around natural ingredients and a strong local identity. Even the packaging reflects that approach: the current bottles use glass made from 100% post-consumer recycled material and are hand-painted by the distillery team. The Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur fits neatly into that range, but it has a particularly practical origin – it was refined over several years through repeated Espresso Martini serves at the distillery bar before being bottled as a finished product.

West Midlands Distillery Dr Eamers’ Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, Production & Style

The base is the distillery’s own premium English pot-distilled vodka, which provides enough structure for the coffee flavours without bringing heavy botanical or oak character. This is combined with a cold brew steeped for 16 hours using 100% Arabica coffee beans. Cold extraction is particularly well suited to a liqueur like this because it creates a rounded, concentrated coffee profile with less of the aggressive bitterness that can come from very hot extraction. Madagascan vanilla brings softness and sweetness, while organic blossom syrup balances the roasted character and helps create the smooth texture necessary for cocktails.

The finished liqueur is bottled at 21.7% ABV. Importantly, it has been formulated as more than simply a coffee flavouring: it already incorporates the spirit, coffee and sweetening elements normally used separately in an Espresso Martini. West Midlands Distillery’s recommended serve is 75ml liqueur and 25ml water, shaken hard with ice. The producer says this creates the creamy head associated with a freshly made Espresso Martini without requiring vodka, separate coffee liqueur or freshly pulled espresso. It can also be served neat over ice or used as the coffee component in a White Russian.

West Midlands Distillery Dr Eamers’ Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, Tasting Notes

Deep coffee-brown in appearance with a rich, glossy look. The nose is immediately dominated by freshly brewed coffee and roasted Arabica beans, with vanilla, dark sugar and a softer floral sweetness appearing behind them. There is plenty of intensity, but the cold-brew character keeps the aromatics rounded rather than burnt or aggressively bitter.

The palate is smooth and velvety, opening with rich roasted coffee before developing towards creamy Madagascan vanilla, dark chocolate and caramelised sugar. The blossom syrup brings sweetness without completely obscuring the coffee, while the 21.7% alcohol provides enough warmth and structure to stop the liqueur becoming overly syrupy. The finish remains distinctly coffee-led, with vanilla and mellow roasted-bean flavours lingering after the initial sweetness fades.

Try It With: Dr Eamers’ One-Bottle Espresso Martini.

This is the obvious serve because the product was designed specifically for it. You do not need separate vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur or sugar syrup – just the liqueur, water and plenty of ice. The key is shaking it properly: a hard shake both chills and dilutes the drink and creates the creamy foam that makes an Espresso Martini feel complete.