Tommy Tardie is a well-known figure in the spirits world, thanks to his two successful and stylish New York hotspots The Flatiron Room and Fine & Rare. Both are centered around an appreciation of fine spirits, with food, music and ambiance that pay homage to the vibe of an old New York speakeasy. But when the pandemic temporarily shuttered Tardie’s clubs, the hospitality entrepreneur grew restless and looked for something new to launch. One option quickly appealed: the idea of making barrel-aged coffee, aging green coffee beans in barrels that were previously used to hold spirits, such as whisky, rye and rum. Tardie’s a coffee drinker—no milk or sugar—so barrel-aged coffee would embody two of his passions. After months of research into sourcing coffee beans, sourcing barrels and determining the best way to combine them, Tardie and his wife Davi created The Morning Dram, which they describe as “coffee for the spirits drinker.” There are three styles: bourbon, rye and Apera sherry. The beans are all aged in the corresponding barrels and have a balanced but distinct smell and taste of the spirits. (They don’t contain alcohol, though–just flavor.) This is coffee that doesn’t need a double pump of pumpkin spice or whipped cream on top; it’s for people who might sip their morning dram just as they might sip an evening spirit—to savor it.