Hi cocktail babes! I talked about this Cold Brew liqueur from Trader Joe's in another blog post a few weeks ago and I had a few questions about it so I decided it needed it's own post with a full review. I picked this up a few weeks ago - it maybe seasonal so if you're interested don't wait too long, which is exactly what I did with the Pumpkin Spice liqueur I was actually looking for.
The bottle says this is a coffee + cream liqueur. I love sweet cocktails, especially in the winter, and liqueurs are so simple to enjoy so I was hooked. For the purpose of this review, I'm going to try it three ways: at room temperature, chilled over ice, and mixed in a fresh cup of coffee as the TJ's cashier suggested. So let's do it!
Here is my official review of the Trader Joe's Cold Brew Liqueur:
This liqueur is really creamy which is perfect for winter in my book. My overall impression of the Trader Joe's Cold Brew Liqueur is that it is lighter than I expected. It isn't nearly as rich as other cream liqueurs I've tried and the flavors are also lighter. The coffee flavor is there but its not overpowering. It is sweet but not overly so. It is just lighter than I expected on all fronts.
When I tried it at room temperature I did the miss coffee flavor. Over ice, it was just like a lightly flavored iced coffee - in a dangerous-while-trying-to-be-a-responsible-adult way so watch out for that! And when I mixed in with a cup of coffee, it was almost like I had just added cream and sugar to my coffee as normal, the booze just blended right in again. I think this Cold Brew liqueur when iced or mixed in coffee could be the most perfect, under the radar, day drinking Irish style coffee.
For me, the winning combo was served over ice. When I tried it a second time I used coffee ice cubes to kick it up a notch and garnished it with a mini donut which was perfection. I highly recommend serving it this way as an extra special treat.
One shaker = not sweet at all // Five shakers = your teeth may curl
This Trader Joe's Cold Brew liqueur isn't nearly as sweet as I expected it to be. It is lightly sweetened but it's more creamy than anything. It still feels like a dessert drink but it is not over the top sweet.
One shaker = does this have booze? Five shakers = OG Four Lokos
Officially this one rings in at 34% ABV which is pretty strong for a "ready to drink" cocktail (I know liqueurs are technically cocktails but stay with me here) but it is so rich that it would be hard to drink too much on it's own so I'm not sure you'd notice the high alcohol content unless you really drank a lot of it.
Would I buy this ready to drink cocktail again?
Yes, I think I would. This liqueur will be on my go-to list for a night cap this winter.
I do have my eye on another one of the seasonal Trader Joe's liqueurs, the Cocoa Cream which I'll be reviewing soon, so TBD on which one will earn a repurchase from me. Stay tuned . . .
Until next week cocktail lovers! Cheers!
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Just a heads up, it’s 34 proof and 17% abv. But still solid!! Love this stuff, and I think your method of using coffee ice cubes and a donut is genius. Cheers!