West African palm spirit, crayfish rum and orange cream liqueur: The best new spirits

For pubs, bars and licenced restaurants trying to stand out in a crowded market, updating your spirits menu could provide that extra pull to attract drinkers.

 

From digestifs to liqueurs, new spirits listings could pep up your cocktail offerings or provide a distinctive alternative to pair with mixers.

 

We have brought together the latest and greatest spirits launches to bring that point of difference to your hospitality offering.

 

Find new spirit menu options below.

 

West African-inspired palm spirit

 

Tobi Ojuri and Kwabena Asante, who have Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage respectively, have launched palm spirit brand Calabasa. The clear spirit combines the floral notes of palm sap with notes of vanilla, green banana and dark spices.

 

Price 500ml bottle, £40

 

Crayfish-spiced rum

 

The Kennet Crayfish Company and Hawkridge Distillers have collaborated to create Kennet Crayfish Spiced Rum. The spirit blends crayfish claw distillate with five-year-old golden rum, which is made with macerated orange, ginger and spices and aged in ex-bourbon casks to develop notes of vanilla, caramel and oak. The result is a balanced, spiced rum that finishes with a long, gentle warmth.

 

Price 70cl bottle, £33.60

 

UK’s first home-grown wormwood vodka

 

East London distillery Devil’s Botany has launched Devil’s Botany Wormwood Vodka, a small-batch spirit distilled with British-grown grand wormwood. The vodka combines floral and herbaceous tones with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and is suitable for both sipping and for making classic cocktails such as a Martini.

 

Price 700ml, £23

 

Quartet of ethically-sourced mescals

 

Kirker Greer Spirits has launched four artisanal mezcals in partnership with Del Suelo co-founders Alí Rogelio Ramírez and bar operators Gregory Buda and Kevin Demers. These ethically-sourced mezcals are created at a palenque (distillery) in the village of San Luis del Río using traditional techniques that capture the flavours of a range of agaves – Espadín, Liso, Tobalá and Madrecuishe – each a single variety from Oaxaca, Mexico. 

 

Price 700ml bottle, £70

 

Orange cream liqueur

 

US-created Sunshine Punch Orange Cream Liqueur has landed in the UK hospitality sector via distributor Red Star Brands. Made from a blend of rum, cream and citrus flavours, Sunshine Punch (18% abv) can be served over ice as a tangy, lighter alternative to classic cream liqueurs or mixed into cocktails.

 

Price Case of six x 70cl bottles, £96

 

Craft Calvados

 

JBE Imports has brought family-run Calvados producer brand Domaine de La Flaguerie to the UK. The Normandy-based distillery’s range encompasses unaged ‘Blanche’ expressions, aged Calvados and Pommeau apéritifs. The Blanche apple eau de vie, with notes of green apple and citrus fruit, is distilled from the same cider used to produce Flaguerie’s six-year-old aged Calvados, which is fruity with notes of flowers, mint and spice. The two-year-old Calvados has a bright, crisp character, while the Pommeau de Normandie, at 17% abv, is aged for two years in French oak barrels for a subtly spiced finish.

 

Price La Flaguerie Blanche, 700ml bottle, £28.80

 

Single-origin coffee digestif

 

Bristol’s Psychopomp Distillery has released a single-origin coffee digestif. The vegan liqueur is blended from unsweetened, single-origin coffee and English wheat spirit, delivering espresso and dark chocolate notes with a clean, dry finish. Each batch is made using seasonal beans from local roasters such as Triple Roast, Clifton Coffee and Oddkins, to create unique blends for each batch. The digestif can be served over ice, poured over ice-cream for an affogato or used to make an Espresso Martini.

 

Price 70cl bottle, £13

 

42-year-old single-cask Scotch

 

Independent bottler Rare Find has released just 42 bottles of a 42-year-old single cask, single malt Scotch whisky at 51.7% abv from the Caol Ila Distillery on Islay. The spirit has been drawn from refill hogshead #1288 and offers aromas of Cuban cigars and candied tropical fruits alongside earthy peat smoke, with minerality for a long finish.

 

Price 70cl bottle, from £624.38