Aromatic coffee flavor and a robust touch of Cuban joie de vivre – this is what’s behind the name of the new BÉBO cuban coffee liqueur, which is celebrating its official US launch.
BÉBO owes its distinctive aroma and flavour to its unique main ingredient: the Cuban coffee – 100% Arabica and certainly one of the best coffees in the world. It is cultivated – and hand-picked – by cooperatives in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra in the eastern part of the island and as it is so hard to source that product availability may initially be limited. In order to bring out the authentic Cuban coffee aroma perfectly, BÉBO deliberately does without any additives and with less sugar than other products in the market; there is no artificial colour and aroma added – nor is there any addition of caramel. BÉBO Coffee Liqueur is all about tasting the rich and multi-faceted aromas of the Cuban coffee.
The Club Bébo legend: According to legend, the origins of BÉBO go back to a secret underground club in Havana called Club Bébo: a place where artists, celebrities, and other free spirits met when they wanted to be together, without any outsiders. The most popular drink was a mixture of rum and Señora Bébo’s famous Cuban coffee – always served in coffee cups, in case the authorities or other unwanted guests might suddenly show up. Through the Café Bébo – a nondescript corner shop – you could gain passage into the club, if you ordered your coffee ‘Mucho gusto!’
“I am thrilled to officially present Bébo to the US market here in Miami to the bartender community. A great tasting coffee liqueur with a huge potential in the premium segment of the US coffee liqueur market, the largest in the world,“ explains Peter Iglesias, COO of Royal Dutch Distillers, U.S. importer of Bébo Cuban Coffee Liqueur. “While observing the global coffee cocktail trend to experiment with different origins of coffee as well as with various extraction methods we are convinced that Bébo can soon become the first choice when it comes to mixing the perfect Espresso Martini.”
BÉBO Coffee Liqueur can be served neat, on the rocks but comes into its own as the perfect choice for the Espresso Martini. The new brand fits comfortably into the premium segment and mainly addresses adventurous city dwellers and millennials. Bébo has been successfully launched in Europe at BCB Berlin in 2017 and is now being rolled out in key cities in the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Italy.
The coffee liqueur is 24% alcohol by volume and comes in a 750 ml bottle. On the nose is the scent of real coffee, a bit spicy and sweet, and cinnamon tones. The liqueur tastes of roasted coffee that is spicy, sweet, yet light. It is not very syrupy or too sweet.
In the U.S., Bébo Coffee Liqueur is currently available via Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.
Try out the coffee liqueur in this recipe:
Signature Serve is the Bébo Espresso Martini: “Café Mucho Gusto“:
1oz Bébo Cuban Coffee Liqueur
1oz fresh espresso
1oz Vodka (switch for mezcal and it will taste superb)
1 bar spoon fine sugar
Photo: Margaret Pattillo.
