How to Make Alcoholic Coffee with Whiskey and Cold Drip

You’ve tried everything—light roasts, dark roasts, pour-overs, espressos—but your usual black coffee or even your go-to single-origin espresso just isn’t doing it for you anymore. What if your coffee could deliver the complexity of a great brew and the warmth of a fine whiskey in one glass?

The answer is simple: replace the water in your coffee extraction with whiskey. That’s exactly what Fliquor Bean does—brewing cold drip coffee using whiskey instead of water, resulting in a bold, boozy coffee drink with 12–14 hours of extraction time.

What Is Fliquor Bean?

Fliquor Bean is a Los Angeles-based coffee company founded in 2013 by Jerry DeFazio, originally from New York and later Texas. DeFazio, who initially pursued a TV career, fell in love with Irish coffee and began experimenting with boozy coffee drinks. His creation, Fliquor Bean, infuses the nuanced flavors of cold drip coffee with 90-proof (45% ABV) high-quality whiskey. The result is a smooth, flavorful drink designed to be sipped over ice, with optional additions like syrup or cream.

Why Use Whiskey Instead of Water?

Most cold brew or cold drip methods use water to extract coffee flavor slowly over time. By substituting whiskey for water, Fliquor Bean captures not only the coffee’s intrinsic flavors—like fruitiness, acidity, and sweetness—but also integrates the whiskey’s own profile. This creates a unified taste experience where coffee and alcohol enhance each other. According to DeFazio, this method unlocks new dimensions in both the coffee and the spirit.

The Recipe Behind Fliquor Bean

Making Fliquor Bean takes 12–14 hours, similar to traditional cold drip or ice drip methods. The coffee is brewed using whiskey as the solvent instead of water, extracting soluble compounds over a slow, controlled drip. DeFazio sources his coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters’ Hairbender blend and pairs it with Bowen’s whiskey, a locally made Los Angeles spirit. The final product is best enjoyed over ice, with the flexibility to customize the flavor with sugar syrup or cream. Due to the small-batch, time-intensive process, Fliquor Bean is currently produced in limited quantities, though larger-scale production is planned.

Cold Brew & Fermentation: The Flavor Connection

If you’ve ever left cold brew in the fridge for over 10 hours, you might have noticed it starts to develop a wine-like or boozy aroma. That’s not your imagination. With extended steeping—like FrontStreet Coffee’s 12-hour cold brew made from Kenya Little Tomato beans—the coffee can develop distinct fruity, fermented notes resembling a light wine or liqueur. This effect is due to prolonged molecular extraction and subtle fermentation-like changes during cold, slow brewing. Using certain beans with natural fermentation traits—like those with jammy or berry-like profiles—can intensify this effect. FrontStreet’s Strawberry Candy Espresso, for example, becomes especially fruity and smooth when cold steeped.

How to Try It Yourself

You don’t need to buy Fliquor Bean to experiment. At home, you can mimic the effect using cold brew or cold drip techniques with a high-quality, flavorful single-origin coffee and a spirit of your choice. Start with a medium or medium-light roast known for its fruity or acidic brightness—such as FrontStreet’s Strawberry Candy or Kenya-sourced beans. Use a 1:11 brew ratio (e.g., 60g coffee to 660g whiskey or water), steep in the fridge for 8–12 hours, then filter. Let the coffee liquor rest for another 3 hours before serving. For a closer match to Fliquor Bean, use whiskey instead of water in your cold drip setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Fliquor Bean?

Fliquor Bean is an alcoholic coffee beverage made by extracting cold drip coffee using 90-proof whiskey instead of water. The process takes 12–14 hours and results in a smooth, boozy drink with coffee and whiskey flavors blended together. It’s served over ice and can be customized with syrup or cream.

Who created Fliquor Bean?

Fliquor Bean was created by Jerry DeFazio, founder of Fliquor Bean, Inc., based in Los Angeles. DeFazio, originally from New York and Texas, developed the drink after falling in love with Irish coffee and experimenting with coffee-whiskey combinations.

What kind of whiskey is used in Fliquor Bean?

Fliquor Bean is made with Bowen’s whiskey, a locally brewed spirit from Los Angeles. DeFazio chose it for its quality and 90-proof alcohol content, which is 45% ABV. The whiskey is used in place of water during the cold drip extraction process.

Can I make a similar drink at home?

Yes. You can replicate the effect by using a cold brew or cold drip method with whiskey instead of water. Use a medium or medium-light roast coffee, a 1:11 brew ratio, and steep for 8–12 hours in the fridge. Filter and let it rest before serving. Adjust flavor with syrup or cream as desired.

Why does cold brew sometimes taste like alcohol?

Cold brew can develop boozy or fermented aromas after extended steeping (10+ hours) due to prolonged extraction and subtle chemical changes in the fridge. This is especially true for fruity or acidic beans. FrontStreet’s Kenya Little Tomato beans, for instance, show strong fruity and wine-like notes after 12-hour cold brew.

Is Fliquor Bean sold widely?

Currently, Fliquor Bean is produced in small batches and is not yet widely distributed. The company is applying for sales licenses and plans to scale up production. In the meantime, you can follow their updates on Instagram or Twitter.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Boozy Cold Coffee

For an at-home boozy cold coffee experiment, try FrontStreet’s Strawberry Candy Espresso—its sweet, jammy profile turns exceptionally fruity and smooth when cold steeped. The Kenya Little Tomato offers bright, wine-like acidity that deepens into complex fermented notes after 12 hours in the fridge. Both beans highlight the natural fermentation and fruit-forward characteristics that pair well with extended cold extraction, mimicking the profile of Fliquor Bean. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.