Drink of the Week: Liber & Co Toasted Coconut Syrup

When I started covering cocktails and spirits in Austin, Texas, in 2010, the good cocktail bars were almost exclusively making syrups in-house as a signal of reliable quality. Back then, most commercial syrups were cloyingly sweet and plied with artificial ingredients, so I clearly remember when Liber & Co hit the market about a year later. Every bottle managed to perfectly capture the essence of the ingredients, and with vibrant and creative flavors, they changed at-home cocktail-making for so many people at the time. Flash forward 10 years and I’m happy to report they’re still at it.

Their latest release, a toasted coconut syrup, has been bringing a much-needed dose of tropical sunshine to my cocktails lately. Two things make this syrup stand out: A medium toast on the coconut meat ensures that there’s just a touch of extra warmth in the flavor profile, and the inclusion of lemon oil counteracts the sweetness. With a robust but balanced coconut flavor and creamy quality, it’s a natural match for a Piña Colada, but I also recently subbed the syrup in for orgeat in a Mai Tai, and the results were delicious. $10, liberandcompany.com