It's about mid-way through March, which means many of us are spending more and more time daydreaming about spring, and our favorite things that come along with warmer weather like sundresses, rosé, and cold brew. Well, Starbucks just added even more fuel to our springtime daydreams by announcing the introduction of a trendy new kind of cold brew. The new drink is Gin Barrel-Aged Cold Brew, and it's only available at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle.
Gin Barrel-Aged Cold Brew is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. According to the coffee company, it all starts when unroasted small-lot Rwandan coffee beans are put into oak barrels that were previously used to age bourbon then gin. As the beans hang out in the barrels, they take on the botanics of the gin, and by the time they're removed they have an even more complex taste that includes notes of citrus.
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It's not just the barrel-aged beans that give the drink a gin twist, however. The entire beverage is meant to be a take on a classic gin and tonic — although keep in mind that it's non-alcoholic. To make the new offering, a coffee concentrate created with the beans is shaken with ice, and most unusually, a few dashes of lime bitters. Then, just like a G&T, it's finished with tonic and lime. That's definitely a different way to drink cold brew.
This isn't the first time Starbucks has grabbed our attention with a new kind of cold brew. In fact, almost exactly one year ago, the coffee company enhanced our springtime dreams by introducing a cold brew beverage that drew inspiration from a different alcoholic drink. The Whiskey-Barrel Aged Cold Brew was also exclusively available at the Seattle Reserve Roastery. Starbucks is now two for two when it comes to exciting new spring cold brew trends. Guess that means next March, we should all plan trips to Seattle.
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