Introducing Solbeso, the world’s first spirit distilled from fresh cacao fruit (at 80 proof, it bears little, if any, resemblance to chocolate), whose final production technique was finessed by the very talented Dave Pickerell (former Master Distiller of Maker’s Mark and consultant to a variety of craft spirits).
Buzzing among the bartender community as what just may be an entirely new category, Solbeso is still in a preliminary launch phase (currently only available in select locations in NYC, Miami & Los Angeles). It is backed by New World Spirits, a newly formed incubator and importer based in NYC with an advisory board full of current and former executives hailing from the likes of Diageo, Brown-Foreman, Treasury Wine, Anheuser Busch, and more.
Solbeso’s story is incredibly different than anything else on the market; a few interesting facts:
· The cacao used to distill Solbeso is hand-sourced from several Latin American countries (specifically, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic & more!), marking one of the only spirits with multi-origins.
· A by-product of cocoa bean production, the aromatic cacao fruit used to distill Solbeso is sustainably sourced from family farms and co-operatives throughout Latin America, where cacao production has been a way of life for thousands of years.
· By pioneering every step of the production process – from cacao collection, to fermentation, to distillation – Solbeso has created the world’s first cacao fruit supply chain, vastly benefiting local communities in remote regions of Latin America along the way.
· Through modern technology, Solbeso has perfected the ancient art of fermenting the cacao fruit and is the first variation to be distilled (referred to as “Food of the Gods,” thousands of years ago cacao was revered by the Mayan, Incan & Aztec cultures – reserved for nobility)
· The Solbeso name is a portmanteau of the Spanish words Sol (Sun) and Beso (Kiss) – an allusion to the open-air fermentation process where the cacao is literally “kissed by the sun” – conjuring the warmth and magic of a spirit born in the tropics.
· Solbeso is distilled from cacao fruit that is naturally organic, 100% pure, and rich in natural stimulants.
