Booze from Coffee

Vodka, whiskey, rum?

Whatever your poison, there’s a spirit with your name on it.

So for instant success, brew up a 40% liquor with the world favourite non alcoholic beverage.

Yes, you guessed it coffee.

A new production process using used coffee grounds is underway detailed in Science magazine, which could, in all really possibility turn out to be your new favourite drink.

“The scientists first collected [used coffee grounds] from a Portuguese coffee roasting company and dried it.

Then they heated the powder in water at 163°C for 45 minutes, separated out the liquid, and added sugar.

Next, the team mixed in yeast cells, let the concoction ferment, and concentrated the sample to get a higher alcohol content.”

(A similar process is used to produce other distilled beverages such as whiskey and rum from wheat and molasses.)

And voilà! 

Used coffee grounds produced a new alcoholic beverage with 40% ethanol.

Micro-brewers often flavour their beers with coffee, and caffeine-liquor mixes but the new booze is different.

The scientists say that their new “Spent Coffee Ground spirit” smells and tastes like coffee and has the characteristics of a pleasant beverage.

However, most of the caffeine has been removed in the fermentation and distillation process, removing any ‘energy drink’ associated problems.

Keep an eye out for this new up and comer, our bet is it’s in the supermarket in the not-too-distant future.