Patrón launched the ultra-premium tequila market in 1989, with smooth and sophisticated offerings from 100 percent Blue Weber agave and distinctively shaped hand-crafted bottles made from recycled glass, stoppered with the company's signature rounded corks. Three years after remaking tequila's image for upscale consumers, master distiller Francisco Alcazar redefined coffee liqueurs with Patrnó XO Cafe, a full-bodied mixture of rich Mexican coffee and elegant Patrón Silver tequila.
Patron's XO Cafe Dark Cocoa blends chocolate and coffee flavors with premium tequila. — Photo courtesy of Libby McMillan
Unlike Kahlua, the other popular purveyor of Mexican coffee liqueur, Patrón XO Cafe is blended to taste dry instead of sweet, showcasing balanced tasting notes of black pepper, chocolate and vanilla, highlighted by the invigorating aroma of freshly ground, dark roasted coffee. And unlike the syrupy, rum-based Kahlua, Patrón XO Cafe has been paired with high-quality tequila, making it an excellent stand-alone sipper, as well as the perfect complement for coffee-oriented cocktails like Cafe Royal and Añejo Alexander. It's also a fine dessert topping and a delicious drizzle for a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Earlier this year, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Patrón XO Cafe, the company unveiled the new Patrón XO Cafe Dark Cocoa, which offers a new twist on their popular coffee liqueur, with less alcohol but more insistent tequila notes, sweeter and more intense chocolate flavors and more refined hints of coffee. The coffee and chocolate originate in Mexico, with the criollo chocolate sourced from Tabasco and the coffee from Veracruz and Chiapas. As with all Patrón's tequilas and tequila-based liqueurs, XO Cafe and XO Cafe Dark Cocoa are made at the Hacienda del Patrón in Atotonilco El Alto, a town in the highlands of Jalisco.