Estate 98 Forges a Salvadoran Farm-to-Cocktail Connection

Photo by Quaker City Mercantile, courtesy of Estate 98.

U.S.-based descendants of Salvadoran coffee estate founders have launched a single-origin, single-estate “espresso spirit” called Estate 98, built to stand in for espresso or other brewed coffee concentrate in cocktails.

At 25% alcohol by volume (50 proof), Estate 98 is positioned as a bar-friendly shortcut for cocktail programs that want true coffee flavor without adding espresso equipment or more prep time, according to company founders Andres and Jose Larin.

The debut product, Licor de Café Especial, also serves as a showcase for shade-grown, honey-process, patio-dried coffees produced by El Noventa y Ocho, the family farm in El Salvador that traces its name to 1798 and is now in its sixth generation of Larin ownership.

Andres and Jose Larin. Courtesy photo.

“It’s the culmination of over two centuries of knowledge, tradition, and respect for the land,” Andres Larin said in an announcement of the launch. “We wanted to create a spirit that honors our heritage and lets the coffee shine, instead of the sugar content — all while solving real challenges for bartenders and elevating the experience for coffee cocktail lovers.”

The brothers’ father, Jose Manuel Larin, currently operates and lives on the farm. The family also owns additional coffee farms and sells green coffee in wholesale quantities to commercial buyers, including big names such as Starbucks, Illycafé and Peet’s Coffee, according to the company. 

Born and raised in the U.S., the brothers moved between Florida and New Jersey before relocating to El Salvador as teenagers, then returning stateside for college. Andres went into real estate, while Jose works in project management and consulting, primarily in biotech-related fields. Jose now lives outside Philadelphia, and Andres is based in Miami, where Estate 98 is headquartered.

Courtesy photo.

For the spirit, Estate 98’s coffees are roasted by North Carolina-based Jags Head Coffee, a family-owned Salvadoran farm-to-cup company with ties to the same region. The roasted coffee is then extracted through a proprietary process by a separate third party, producing what Estate 98 calls an espresso-strength “Esencia de Café.” From there, it is blended with neutral cane spirit, a small amount of sugar and, according to the company, a touch of vanilla, then bottled at a distillery in Miami.

Estate 98 is currently priced at $49.99 through the company’s direct-to-consumer online shop, with local retail availability in Miami also beginning to roll out.

Courtesy photo.

“We plan to expand within the state of Florida and into other markets next year,” Larin told DCN. “We are focused on making one product that people love, and after that there are plenty of possibilities.”

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