Type Coffee Liqueur | Producer Mr Black Spirits | Region Australia > New South Wales > Erina | ABV 23% | Volume 700 ml | Price (AUD) ~$60
House notes
Mr Black is the reason Australian Espresso Martinis outstripped the London originals sometime around 2018. Made on the NSW Central Coast with Arabica beans from four origins, cold-brewed not extracted, blended with Australian wheat spirit. The result tastes like actual coffee. Not sweet coffee syrup, not coffee-flavoured anything, coffee. Pour it neat and you get a proper espresso top layer of crema over a dark, bitter, long-finishing liqueur. In an Espresso Martini with fresh hot espresso and cold Absolut it makes the version everyone remembers. Kahlua is a coffee liqueur. Mr Black is coffee, liquidised.
What it pairs with
Espresso Martini, White Russian (stealth upgrade), Mr Black Old Fashioned (yes really, with bourbon and orange peel), over vanilla ice cream for an instant affogato, or in a mocha stout cocktail. Food: dark chocolate, tiramisu, pavlova with espresso syrup, cold-brew semifreddo, or a plain digestive biscuit at 11pm. A working bottle for anyone who drinks Espresso Martinis more than once a month.
About the producer
Mr Black was founded in 2013 by Tom Baker and Philip Moore on the NSW Central Coast. They cold-brew over 18 hours and do everything on site at their distillery in Erina. Acquired by Diageo in 2022, which thankfully has not changed the liquid.