Le Claire, Iowa, October 31, 2011 - Mississippi River Distilling Company is excited to announce the release of their second seasonal product, Iowa Coffee Company Liqueur, on November 4, 2011. MRDC is once again partnering with an Iowa business on this product, this time Iowa Coffee Company from the Des Moines area. The new spirit will be perfect for holiday gatherings and as a unique gift.
"The whole idea of the seasonal spirits is to bring some unique products to the market and also partner with other local businesses," Ryan Burchett, MRDC owner and distiller, says. "We were really excited that we knew someone in Iowa who was an experienced artisan coffee roaster."
MRDC takes Iowa Coffee Company's hand roasted Peruvian blend and infuses it into River Pilot Vodka. Along the process, fresh cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans are added. As a seasonal product, this is a limited, one time bottling with approximately 4,000 bottles for distribution.
MRDC features two signature cocktails at each First Friday. This month we'll have Mississippi Night for visitors to try, which is iced coffee with Iowa Coffee Company Liqueur (ICCL) and River Baron Vodka. The second cocktail will be a Stone Post, a wonderful fall concoction. It's a mixture of apple cider, ginger simple syrup and River Pilot Vodka topped off with ginger beer. Chef Stephanie Godke has also come up with three new recipes using MRDC products. We'll give samples of ICCL grilled skirt steak with a coffee dry rub, ICCL brownies with cappuccino frosting and River Rose Gin pear cake.
Iowa Coffee Company (ICC) owner Tom Sibbernsen has been roasting coffee for over 20 years. Sibbernsen originally got started in the coffee business with a friend in Omaha and then moved back to his roots in Iowa to start ICC. He had a coffee shop inside of Des Moines' Mercy Hospital for 11 years and now sells his sought after beans through his website and at the popular downtown Des Moines farmer's market.
"I thought the collaboration was a great idea," Sibbernsen remarks. "The reason I named my business 'Iowa Coffee Company' was not only because Iowa is where it was founded, but also because my business mission is to represent the core values of hard work, honesty, and friendliness that are characteristic of our state. I know that Ryan and his team at MRDC share those values as well."
Burchett says there aren't many local artisan coffee roasters in Iowa and he was really excited about what Sibbernsen was bringing to the market. "We thought it would be a great partnership to take fresh, locally roasted beans and combine them with our local farm fresh spirits."
"This was a great opportunity to collaborate with another locally focused Iowa business and combine our products to create something completely new," Sibbernsen says. "It's very satisfying to see ICC's name not only on a coffee bag, but teamed with MRDC on a bottle. Partnerships like this are a great way to help two quality businesses producing local artisan products expand their customer base within the state of Iowa."
Mississippi River Distilling Company is open from 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday and from 12 to 5 PM Sundays. Free tours are offered to the public daily on the hour from 12 to 4 PM or by appointment. The tour takes visitors through the entire distilling process. Tours end in the Grand Tasting Room with free samples of products for those patrons over 21 years of age. Mississippi River Distilling Company's next product, Cody Road Whiskey, will be released in December 2011.
