Years after the discontinuation of cult-favourite coffee liqueur Patrón XO Café, the co-founder of Patrón Tequila has joined forces with his daughters to bring back the legendary sensation of coffee flavoured liqueur, by the name of Bandero Café.
In case you didn’t notice, or you’re uninitiated to the world of coffee liqueur, Patrón XO Café was the most rich and luxurious coffee liqueur known to man, with its signature mix of coffee, vanilla and baked agave making it an instant best-seller of Patrón’s extensive catalogue. The success of this award-worthy drink preceded the brands next two ventures, a cocoa-flavoured XO Café Dark and a chilli-infused XO Café Incendio.
Suddenly, without warning, Patrón XO Café stopped its production in 2021, to the dismay of fans across the globe. Long-time drinkers of this storied liqueur began writing tearful obituaries, and news outlets warned fans to stock up on the coffee-liqueur as soon as possible before stocks run out.
Now, as of 2023, Patrón XO Café lives on only in the resale market, but with a drastic markup. Originally retailing for $30 dollars a bottle, now 750ml of the liqueur is sold at upwards of $150.
Enter Bandero Tequila, our saving grace. The UK-based brand was launched in 2018 by Jonathan Kendrick alongside the daughters of Patrón Tequila’s co-founder John Paul DeJoria, Alexis and Michaeline DeJoria. The brand specialises in creating premium tequila from the shores of Mexico and California, made with 100% Blue Weber agaves grown in the nutrient-rich red clay soil found at the foothills of the Guachimontones in Jalisco.
In the wake of Patrón XO Café’s untimely death, the market was wide open for a brand to deliver a new crowd-pleaser of the coffee liqueur variety, and Bandero Tequila made it their mission to do just that. Hitting the market in 2022, Bandero Café promised to bring the coffee liqueur back to life with its painstakingly recreated drink.
In a press release, Bandera Tequila announced: “When Bacardí called time on Patrón XO Café, many tequila lovers in the UK shed a tear. Now that love affair can blossom again with the introduction of Bandero Café.”
Now, the man behind the production of Patrón XO Café, John Paul DeJoria himself, has announced that he’s joining the team at Bandero Tequila alongside his daughters, in a partnership that not much is known about. Nonetheless, Bandero is officially the undisputed champion of the future of coffee liqueur, until a new offering pops up in its place.
Are you obsessed with coffee liqueur? If you’re not already, give it a try!