Tempus Fugit Spirits Creme de Moka
Tempus Fugit Spirits Creme de Moka is a 25% ABV (50 proof), 750mL coffee liqueur revived from a historic crème de moka recipe dating to 1755 — one of the earliest European coffee liqueur styles. Tempus Fugit Spirits selects fine Arabica beans from the southern Ethiopian highlands (Sidamo and Yirgacheffe), distills them with neutral eau-de-vie, then blends with cold-brewed Ethiopian coffee and cane sugar. No artificial flavorings or coloring are added — just coffee, spirit, and sugar in 18th-century balance. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 25% ABV / 50 proof
- Size: 750mL
- Recipe: revived from a historic 1755 crème de moka formula
- Ingredients: southern Ethiopian highland Arabica coffee, neutral eau-de-vie, cold-brewed Ethiopian coffee, cane sugar — no artificial flavorings or colorings
- Recognition: 92 pts, VinePair 2023 Top 50
The 1755 Coffee Liqueur, Reborn
"Moka" is not a flavor — it is a place: the Port of Mocha in Yemen, once the trading hub for the world's finest Arabica beans, and the historic term for exceptional coffee. Tempus Fugit Spirits, founded in 2001 to recreate classic liqueurs from authentic historical recipes, rebuilt an early crème de moka formula from 1755 around the best modern coffee available: Arabica from Ethiopia's Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions. The result is bittersweet, floral, and deeply aromatic — a coffee liqueur with structure instead of syrup. Explore the Tempus Fugit Spirits range and our liqueur collection.
Tasting Notes
Nose: freshly roasted coffee beans, cocoa, toasted nuts, hints of dark berries and floral tones. Palate: bittersweet mocha unfolds in layers — roasted coffee intensity, dark berries, delicate florals — with measured sweetness that lingers just long enough before a gentle roasted finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat or over ice to appreciate the balance. It elevates an espresso martini beyond one-note coffee liqueurs and adds bittersweet depth to dessert cocktails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is crème de moka?
A historic European coffee liqueur style; Tempus Fugit's version is recreated from a recipe dating to 1755.
What is the ABV of Tempus Fugit Creme de Moka?
25% ABV (50 proof) — bottled at a strength that preserves full coffee flavor.
Does it contain artificial flavors?
No. Tempus Fugit uses only coffee, eau-de-vie, cold-brewed coffee, and cane sugar.
Is it good in an espresso martini?
Excellent — its bittersweet complexity and robust body were made for it.
Upgrade your home bar's coffee liqueur — order Tempus Fugit Creme de Moka online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.