Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013885
august 2018 / the tasting panel / 101 In what manner should a brand-new Dutch spirit inspired by Cuba debut in the American market in search of a new audience? In the case of Bébo, a cof- fee liqueur from Royal Dutch Distillers, it landed with full gale force at the inaugural Bar Convent Brooklyn trade show in June. Unfolding in the New York borough's Greenpoint neighborhood, Bar Convent Brooklyn is the offspring of the long-running Bar Convent Berlin. It was immediately apparent the new BCB trade show was in the right place at just the right time: The original BCB operators had been looking to launch a branch of their show in America, considering many possible spots as a home base, and Brooklyn made sense on multiple levels. As a true spirits trade show, Bar Convent Berlin set out to facilitate producers in presenting their wares as they seek to make connections, sell product, and create buzz. But as it evolved in its home city, the show grew to encompass cocktails and coffee, as well—both of which happen to be millennial obsessions. So when Bar Convent landed in Brooklyn, perhaps the most famous millennial mecca in the country, members of the trade packed the venue in droves. And while I'm hardly a member of the millennial generation, Bébo—named for an old-time Havana bar owner who kept a caged hummingbird as a pet and was famous for offering guests his housemade coffee liqueur—was my favorite taste of the show. Myriam Hendrickx, Master Distiller at De Kuyper Royal Distillers (parent company of the U.S. subsidiary Royal Dutch Distillers), fought international trade strictures to acquire high-quality coffee beans from the Sierra Maestra mountain range of southeastern Cuba. The beans are then shipped to Holland, roasted, and transformed into Bébo; moderately sweet with no artificial aromas or color, the liqueur exudes an astonishingly authentic coffee taste with a roasted smokiness. Bébo can be consumed straight or easily incorporated into cocktail recipes. Regarding the latter category, Royal Dutch's new Miami-based COO, Peter Iglesias, says the company's "global corporate vision" is for their products to "always be part of the best cocktails." At the Bébo booth, Royal Dutch Distillers prepared Espresso Martinis featuring the liqueur and displayed Bébo's putative hummingbird cage while conceptualizing other playful ways to attract young consumers and trade mem- bers. Additional members of the Royal Dutch Distillers portfolio, meanwhile, were served with oysters in partnership with Kevin Joseph of Empire Oyster, New York's premier artisanal oyster provider. Joseph put on a show at the shuck- like-crazy oyster bar, where molecular gastronomy highlighted how reverse osmosis creates a delicate membrane around a spirit—in this case, Rutte Old Simon Genever "spirited pearls" with grated horseradish and Rutte Celery Gin with celery-leaf pearls. Of course, the ideal trade show geared toward millennials should also throw the spotlight on rockstar mixologists. The Cognac house of Hennessey was there in full regalia with its eighth-generation master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, but he surprisingly wasn't the main attraction at the brand's booth: To please the crowd, Hennessey enlisted eight top bartenders from across the U.S. to "create bespoke recipes that give a nod to the 200th anniversary of Hennessy VSOP Privilege," according to the company. Berlin certainly got a run for its money—and will so again when Bar Convent Brooklyn makes its second annual appearance in June 2019. For more informa- tion, visit barconventbrooklyn.com. BEbo Espresso Martini ◗ 1 oz. Bébo ◗ 1 oz. fresh espresso ◗ 1 oz. vodka ◗ 1 barspoon fine sugar ' Rutte Master Distiller Myriam Hendrickx with Kevin Joseph, CEO of Empire Oyster.