Lyre’s coffee LIQUEUR
Summary
Drink – Lyre’s Coffee Originale
Type – non-alcoholic coffee liqueur
Alcohol content – 0.0%
Rating– 90/100
Review – Coffee Originale by Lyre’s is one of the highest-scoring alcohol-free spirits we’ve ever reviewed … and that’s because it’s great! It’s almost impossible to find fault with either the flavour or aroma. Basically, it’s the quintessential alcohol-free coffee liqueur that you need on your dry bar and makes an exceptional non-alcoholic espresso martini.
If you’ve not yet come across Lyre’s alcohol-free coffee liqueur or even the Lyre’s brand you soon will do as they have been taking the alcohol-free world by storm. Over the last couple of years, Lyre’s have been deconstructing classic spirits and creating alcohol-free versions. At last count, there were 13 different products you could try/ On this occasion, and as an avid coffee fan, I tried Lyre’s Alcohol-Free Coffee liqueur – Coffee Originale.
Personally, I have always been a fan of espresso martinis, enjoying one at the beginning of an evening so was excited to try out my first non-alcoholic espresso martini using as its base Coffee Originale. It is very similar to a traditional coffee liqueur such as Kahlua or Tia Maria but obviously, Lyre’s version has no alcohol in it … but still bags of coffee flavour.
Although you can drink Coffee Originale neat I used it to make an alcohol-free espresso martini so combined it with Lyre’s White Cane Spirit and added a shot of Nespresso – shook with ice – and poured it into a martini glass! Compared to Coffee Originale Lyres White Cane Spirit is a lot more subtle in flavour, similar to a light mellow rum but acted as a good backdrop for the overall cocktail.
How did my first ever alcohol-free espresso martini taste? Well, you’ll just have to read the Lyre’s review below.
Is Lyre’s Coffee Originale any good?
Taste
Given Lyre’s reputation for creating realistic versions of alcoholic classics I had high expectations and the good news is Coffee Originale did not disappoint. You could have a blind taste test with an alcoholic coffee liqueur and struggle to tell the difference. It was the essence of a good South American coffee, rich with hints of vanilla and nuts. A pretty incredible creation if you ask me. It also made for a very tasty cocktail, when mixed with the Cane Spirit and espresso shot. In my opinion, it wasn’t as satisfying as an alcoholic version but this alcohol-free espresso martini still had plenty of body and potency when sipping it.
Aroma & Appearance
In all intents and purposes, it couldn’t smell or look more like a coffee liqueur if it tried. Dark in colour with a full roasted coffee aroma this won’t disappoint. Just look at the photo of the alcohol-free espresso martini – Tom Cruise eat your heart out!
Bonus points
Let’s start on how much I like the packaging design. Each drink features a stylized animal on the bottle (in the case of Coffee Originale it’s a leopard wearing a vintage racing hat and goggles). This alcohol-free drink is certainly one of the healthier options around given its only 19 calories per serving; it is also suitable for vegans and gluten-free. The one downside I can find is that is punchy on price (pretty much the same price as an alcoholic version) and is notoriously hard to find on supermarket shelves. It is fairly easy to find on online specialists and even then it seems stock for certain bottles is low … goes to show how popular it is.
buy Lyre’s Coffee Originale?
You can buy this alcohol-free coffee liqueur from the following online drinks specialists as well as on Lyre’s own site.
When it comes to alcohol-free spirits, Masters Of Malt has a great selection on offer. Choose from premade cocktails as well as bottles of non-alcoholic spirits.
COST (at time of publication) – £19
Drizly is one of the USA’s leading online alcohol retailers with a large selection of alcohol-free products to choose from.
COST (at time of publication) – $29
Key information
– per 30ml serving
Type – Coffee liqueur
Creators – Lyre’s
Country – UK
Alcohol content – 0%
Calories –19
Ingredients –
Water, Coffee Infusion (Water, Coffee), Sugar, Natural Flavouring, Caramel Colour (E150d), Acidity Regulator (Phosphoric Acid, Citric Acid), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Stabiliser.
Vegan friendly? – yes
Gluten-free? – yes
Availability UK/ EU – medium
Availability US/ CAN – medium
HOW TO MAKE AN ALCOHOL-FREE ESPRESSO MARTINI
(mocktail recipe found on Lyres.co.uk)
Ingredients
45mL Lyre’s Coffee Originale
15mL Lyre’s White Cane Spirit
45mL premium cold drip or fresh espresso
10mL premium vanilla syrup (not vanilla essence)
Method
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
Add ingredients above
Strain into a Martini glass
Enjoy 🙂
