Bars can and have gone to the furthest reaches to differentiate and distinguish themselves so as to catch the eye of bar-goers, a notoriously fickle crowd. And yet no matter the manifestation, it could be well argued that every bar in the world lives and dies by a set of universal foundations that serve as a palette from which the hand of painter, AKA the bartender, can create to the limits of his or her imagination.

What then underscores this foundation is unquestionably its liqueurs. Regardless of flavor, a lack of good liqueurs can make or break any bar no matter how top-notch your spirits are or how expensive your glassware is - it is the heaven and hell for any bartender, just ask any one of them and be ready to sit through a 4-hour recounting of some of the craziest things they've done to get a bottle of liqueur to get them through the shift. 

And yet somehow liqueurs get the least attention and are often overlooked - now what if given the ubiquity of liqueurs, that they can serve an even greater purpose than simply making someone's night? What if these liqueurs can give back?

And so brings us to today's series of liqueurs, made by FAIR.

Now, what exactly is FAIR? A fair question indeed. FAIR is as you might have already guessed, all about fair trade and sustainable practices, which serves as the identity and name of its line of liqueurs, as well as vodka and gin. 

FAIR comes from France and was founded in April 2009 by one Alexandre Koiransky, who had the intention of creating a spirits brand that had a positive impact on both communities as well as the planet.

Founder Alexandre Koiransky.

Koiransky had for years served as a sales representative for a major Cognac brand, where he would sell Cognac door to door in the Southside of Chicago, which put him in touch with African American culture and people. His experiences selling Cognac to individuals who could hardly pay their rent soon made him want to show that it was possible to combine good tasting spirits together with a well-meaning initiative.

Taking inspiration from the ethical standards set by Fair Trade coffee, he realized a vision - that he could apply that same fair-sourcing philosophy to the spirits world.

He committed the brand to exclusively using local and global Fair Trade ingredients for every single product. Consequently, he launched FAIR, which stands today as a pioneering line of spirits to achieve comprehensive Fair Trade certification.

Every FAIR bottle carries proudly the Fair Trade certification.

Yet in reality obtaining a proper Fair Trade certification is anything but easy! Beyond just simply paying workers more, there are more than 200 rigorously enforced and certified rules that mandate safe and healthy working conditions, strictly prohibit forced and child labor, guarantee fair and consistent compensation for workers, and enforce critical environmental safeguards and product traceability - all of course essential and should really be the norm, and yet also requiring an entire rethinking, redesigning and overhauled execution of the supply chain. Now of course if you ask Koiransky, he'd gladly tell you that he'd do it all over again.

For each product, FAIR guarantees a payment for produce at a minimum price, which is standardised at a minimum of 15% higher than the market price on average. This acts as a safety net for small farmers and producers when the market prices are low, so as to ensure they receive enough income to cover their base costs and avoid poverty.

FAIR's flagship vodka is coincidentally the first Fairtrade certified vodka in the entire world. 

Delving into how Koiransky reinvented the supply chain to put these Fair Trade practices into actual reality was an execution nightmare as you might imagine. To launch his first flagship spirit (the FAIR Vodka), Koiransky had to first search for a Fair Trade-certified base ingredient. As it turns out, there were no potatoes - the most common ingredient for vodka - that existed with a Fair Trade certification. As such, the search took him all the way to Bolivia before he found something he could work with: Quinoa. 

That wasn't the only hurdle, either. He chose to distill his spirits in Cognac, France, where he wanted to leverage the region's renowned expertise and infrastructure for high-quality distillation. Now, not being a Cognac native, many distilleries understandably reacted with equal parts confusion and bewilderment. Not one to be turned away, Koiransky literally drove his car from distillery to distillery, where 9 out of 10 turned him away.

After a lengthy search, he finally found a micro-distillery that believed in him enough to try out his idea. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Today, the brand has gone beyond a simple Fair Trade certification. It also has an Agri-Éthique certification. Existing since 2013, Agri-Éthique is France's version of Fair Trade that encourages trade that adheres to the same ethics.

That particular year of 2013 had happened to be a period of significant agro-economic turmoil and instability, with a growing national awareness that French agriculture was severely under threat. Local French farmers were struggling critically to cover their production costs and receive fair payment for their goods, especially up against big international giants. This instability jeopardised not only individual farms and workforces but the entire national agri-food sector, which in turn prompted the institutionalisation of the Agri-Éthique.

The approach has since been structured and organized to guarantee fair and remunerative prices for farmers, employment in France for locals, and to support eco-responsible societal and environmental practices.

The brand has also partnered with ecoSPIRITS to tackle the problem of single use glass in distribution chains in the global spirits and wine industry. A circular economy technology company, ecoSPIRITS had developed the world's first low carbon, low waste packaging system for premium spirits and wine, eliminating most of the packaging waste in the supply chain. Their bottles also only weigh 400g, one of the lightest spirit bottles in the world, which contributes to sustainability by reducing raw material, waste and shipping costs.

Fast forward to today, the FAIR is available in more than 30 markets globally, and collaborates with leading distributors like La Maison du Whisky in France, Mangrove in the UK, and Preiss Imports in the US. Its spirits can also be seen stocking the shelves of esteemed establishments such as the Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris, Callooh Callay in London, and the renowned Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland.

But enough about this wonderful little brand! The big question now is whether its liqueurs hold up!

We're here today at La Maison du Whisky's Whisky Live Singapore 2025 with a full suite of FAIR liqueurs to taste, and as a bartender myself, I had to give them a go!

Let's get stuck in!

Liqueur Review: FAIR Cafe Liqueur, 22% ABV

This liqueur begins with organic, Fair Trade Certified Arabica coffee beans harvested by a co-op of over 1,900 independent farmers in the fertile Huatusco region of Veracruz, Mexico. 

Any sugar used within is also Fair Trade Certified cane sugar ethically procured from various co-ops in countries including Malawi and Paraguay. After the beans are roasted for 20 minutes at 200 degrees, they are infused for three weeks in neutral alcohol (vodka), and then slowly reduced by adding sugar syrup and demineralised water.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Off the bat, freshly roasted coffee layered on toasted coffee beans. It does, however, have an airiness to it on the edge that reminds me of slightly watered down coffee. Underneath also sits some earthy undertones like that of coffee grounds washed through water. There's some cocoa on the back end with some sweetness.

Taste: The espresso notes really keep up here, going on and on. Midway through the palate, that coffee bitterness develops into dark chocolate and cocoa, which then develops into a bitterness that reminds me of toasted nuts. There's a subtle layer of clean sweetness on the end, which I must say is quite welcome since most coffee liqueurs I've had leaves me with a cloying sweetness that I don't quite appreciate.

Finish: All things considered, the finish on this is medium in length, with a clean yet satisfying fade. The espresso notes exit fairly quickly, leaving the stage for that burnt nut bitterness atop dark chocolate. Somehow, the liqueur maintains a core robust coffee flavor well after the finish, yet remains notably low in the high acidity, sugary residue and cloying sweetness often associated with some liqueurs. If I had one gripe, however, is that that airiness on the nose comes back fast on the finish, which leaves a bit of an aftertaste of diluted espresso, or at least very thin coffee. 

My Thoughts

Overall a solid coffee liqueur. I've had a few gripes through the years about coffee liqueurs having that grainy, cloying sweetness that overwhelms the palate long after you've finished - this skirts all of that. It's a good, clean liqueur that'll go well in any espresso-based cocktail. While I do wish the initial coffee notes might be fuller on its own, I also see how it can result in a mellow coffee presence in cocktails that'll float just on the edges of each sip, allowing you to taste the rest of the ingredients. It'll certainly go well with dark spirits, not to mention elevating additions with savory/bitter characteristics like Italian vermouths or traditional bitters.

Cocktail Suggestions That Come To Mind: Espresso Martini (and variations), B-52, Bahamas Daiquiri, Café Boulevardier, Black/White Cuban, Brave Cow, Haymaker, Revolver, Coffee Negroni/Old Fashioned. 

Liqueur Review: FAIR Cucumber Liqueur, 18% ABV

This liqueur is also made from ethically-sourced fresh cucumbers sourced in France, after which distillation takes place in Cognac, France. The cucumber distillate is made with neutral alcohol, and then slowly reduced with the aforementioned sugar and demineralised water. 

Tasting Notes

Aroma: All I get is cucumber here, like a big bowl of chopped cucumbers mixed with clear soda water. Crisp, clean, and with just a bit of heavier sweetness on the edge. Some white florals mingling about in it if you really hunt for it.

Taste: Mildly sweet, with that cucumber juice edge. It is surprisingly clean and simple, once again seeing an absence of any sweetness that is cloying. The initial distinct rush of cucumber gives way into something like the mildest of coriander and juniper berries, edged by some citrus bitterness (lemons) and an almost intangible wisp of white pepper and white florals.

Finish: It's all cucumber from here on out. Just fading cool cucumber like the aftertaste of biting into a thick slice. Some brightness toward the end that puts an end to any sweetness still remaining, turning it into mineral water mixed with a bare amount of citrus and juniper.

My Thoughts

Nice, clean and easy to like! Very mellow liqueur with a sweetness that is clean and refreshing. I must say it really is one of the most cucumber juice-adjacent liqueurs I've had in a while, which is a sort of clean and refreshing quality that is hard to come by and as a bartender you always imagine a cucumber liqueur ought to be but almost never find it - well, this is it. It would do very nicely in a cocktail with how well it plays to other flavours, bringing both cucumber and mild sweetness to anything that should call for it, without any cause for overpowering the other flavours you might prefer to highlight.

I can already see it complementing lighter base spirits like vodka and gin, enhancing rather than overpowering their delicate profiles. It should also pair well with bright, zesty ingredients like mint, lime, and watermelon, too.

Cocktail Suggestions That Come To Mind: Dry Martinis (and variants), Last Word, Margarita (and variants), Fruit Cups, Most Spritzes, Gin & Tonics, Gimlets, Gin/Vodka Sodas, El Pepino.

Liqueur Review: FAIR Chipotle Liqueur, 18% ABV

Certainly a lesser-heard-of liqueur flavor, FAIR has managed to make a Chipotle Liqueur. I was quite surprised when I first laid eyes upon it, I must say. 

The liqueur is made using jalapeño peppers from Oaxaca, which are smoked and dried. Known as Chipotle peppers after this process is done, they are first infused for two weeks in neutral alcohol, and again, slowly reduced by adding sugar and
demineralised water.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Unexpected and somewhat surprising. It's almost exactly like opening a fresh bag of Chipotle chips. Off the bat there's a good amount of smokiness which gives way into strong notes of peppers, toasted peppers, and some cayenne powder. There's some caramel with musty dried tomatoes all the way in the back, and a faint woodiness. It all comes together to form an almost Chinese herb presence that I associate with walking past a traditional Chinese herb and medicine store with its dried goods.

Taste: What you nose is what you get, and with a little more. A mild spiciness that's noticeable but generally well-integrated. Those peppers come in strong, while the smokiness settles on the edges and is content to stay there. Some savoriness develops with a faint sweetness, too. That dried tomato note turns into something like mild prunes, although that's hardly noticeable. Oddly enough, I am distinctly reminded of Chrysanthemums (like in a tea) toward the end.

Finish: That measured heat fades rather quickly. The campfire smoke and mild roasted pepper presence persists to the end, only when some sweetness does come out. That chrysanthemum note when everything comes together does persist still, curiously enough, but this time with the barest sprinkle of lime rind. At the end of it, that savoriness really does make it quite moreish.

My Thoughts

The smokiness and stronger presence of roasted peppers make spicy or mezcal-based cocktails come to mind, where this liqueur should really shine. By itself, it really is quite flavorful and well done, albeit a little intense since all the flavors are compressed into a fairly thick medium. An excellent liqueur, all things considered, that strikes astonishingly close to the original flavor profile that it's labelled as. I'd go so far as to say that any bartenders or cocktail lovers who are tired of the same old "spicy cocktail" ingredients should give this a try.

Also highly recommended for those who like spicy cocktails but can't, for the life of them, deal with hot sauces and anything hotter than bell peppers. All the flavor, none of the pain, I say.

Cocktail Suggestions That Come To Mind: Spicy Margarita, Bloody Mary, Michelada, Gin & Tonics, Paloma, Spicy Daiquiri. Note: Most Mezcal/Spicy Cocktails can use this, honestly.

Liqueur Review: FAIR Acai Berry Liqueur, 22% ABV

Again with a rather unique liqueur flavor, this liqueur is made using hand-harvested açaí berries from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, also completely ethically sourced and distilled.  

The açaí distillate is also slowly reduced with sugar and demineralised water in Cognac, France.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: A good amount of that acai berry note, paired with red dark fruit that leans toward red grapes, some cranberry-strawberry lozenges as well as blackberries. Some raspberry on the back end, like in a jam or compote. Curiously, it's less intensely sweet than I anticipated, being more of a well-balanced, muted bouquet of smells. There's a darker nuttiness underneath everything, vaguely reminding me of dark chocolate or toasted walnuts.

Taste: Definitely much sweeter on the palate with just a barrage of sweet bright and dark red fruit, although it lasts for just a moment. After the initial sweetness recedes, I get that mixed fruit jam: cranberries, raspberries, blackberries and some grapes that all wrap up into that familiar acai note. Some tartness emerges, with waves and waves of those berries. There's some mild honey mustiness on the back end, with some cocoa nibs and just the faintest of molasses.

Finish: The sweetness comes in bursts on the finish. Berries last all the way in a slow ebbing finish, too. It turns slightly dry all the way at the end with a touch of graininess and nut bitterness as a last kick. All things considered, it reminds me of an acai smoothie bowl with some more syrupy-ness.

My Thoughts

As someone without a penchant for sweet things, I must admit that I find this liqueur rather well balanced even though I had mildly feared for my life at the start. The sweetness isn't cloying, and there's a depth of flavors in it that is really quite surprising delightful. Of course, it remains on the sweeter end of FAIR's liqueurs that I've tried so far, and I suspect it shall remain so.

Nevertheless, its sweetness and flavor are certainly both strengths. In a cocktail, it'll do well with bitter or citrus liqueurs that provide balance to its sweet profile, and should elevate most clear spirits. In simple built drinks like a Gin & Tonic, for example, it can provide a fun and playful addition for those that want to switch it up a bit. Lots of potential here to be used in cocktails that call for berry liqueurs or syrup, too!

Cocktail Suggestions That Come To Mind: Bramble, Rum Runner, Clover Club, Midnight in Paris, various smashes, Martinis, and Daiquiris, Rum Punches.

Liqueur Review: FAIR Coconut Liqueur, 22% ABV

Much like the rest of its liqueurs, this tipple was made by ethically sourced coconuts from the Philippines, and after distillation in neutral spirit, was combined with sugar and demineralised sugar for the final product.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Off the bat, a rather realistic gentle note of grated coconut atop a bed of crayons, paired with some chalkiness. Some super gentle fresh cut grass and soil on the back end. Goes on and on and reminds me a bit of freshly made ondeh ondeh, a Malaysian coconut-based dessert with desiccated coconut on top. There's a lingering note of that crayon smell about, although it is not at all unwelcome.

Taste: A gentle sweetness creeps up on you, with that chalkiness on the nose somehow translating into a physical sort of graininess here. It's actually quite moreish without that overly synthetic coconut smell you sometimes get with flavored liqueurs or coconut-flavored drinks/food. The crayon note comes on a bit stronger on the back end, with less of that fresh coconut, but not in an overly in-your-face way. A creamy, mouthfeel, all things considered.  Some mild fresh wood just before the finish, with a vanilla undertone.

Finish: Fairly long. Again, moreish and really clings to your palate. Everything comes together and translates into something like palm sugar that maintains that creamy yet grainy mouthfeel and sticks around. There's some toasted coconut on the back, which I realised might explain the earlier wood note.

My Thoughts

Overall a clean and straightforward coconut liqueur. I do quite admire how it doesn't overdo it with the coconut notes for that inherently jarring synthetic coconut flavor that I often find in most coconut liqueurs. There's also something to be appreciated here with the types of coconut that you can draw from this liqueur from nose, palate and finish! I'd say this is a new favorite for anything that calls for coconut liqueur, really. 

Cocktail Suggestions That Come To Mind:  Bahama Mama, Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Alexander, Mojito, Margarita.

Liqueur Review: FAIR Passionfruit Liqueur, 22% ABV

Based off of ethically harvested passionfruit from Peru, the fruit was macerated and distilled in Cognac, France before the usual addition of sugar and demineralised water. 

Tasting Notes

Aroma: A super gentle nose of tangy passionfruit pulp and juice, with only a sprinkle of a more concentrated confectionary passionfruit flavoring. I also get orange citrus, some apricot and/or wet guavas on the edge, some honey and the faintest muskiness on the back end, like overripe passionfruit and tropical fruit like papayas.

Taste: Surprisingly light and clean. Fainter fresh passionfruit and again with that orange zest. It leans sweeter although not over the top. Some solid earthiness spikes in the mid-palate that reminds me vaguely of stone fruit pips and a faint squeeze of peach. The passionfruit comes in toward the end once again with an almost honeyed presence that develops into a fruit gummy quality.

Finish: Medium, mouth coating and juicy. The passionfruit comes back in again full blast now, accompanied by that orange zest that really lasts all the way to the end. The sweetness does follow you, but fades away somewhat as it goes on, turning more honeyed.

My Thoughts

Very much in line with the rest of FAIR's liqueurs: No muss, no fuss, no strong synthetic flavours. It's clean and controlled in taste, with just enough similarities to a freshly squeezed passionfruit that makes it a dead ringer for any cocktail that calls on passionfruit in its list of ingredients. That simple, juicy, passionfruit presence is something to revel in, in my opinion!

It should pair well with citrus or anything bright and bubbly, and I daresay even with earthy, spirit-forward dark spirits. 

Cocktail Suggestions That Come To Mind:  Pornstar Martini, Passionfruit Daiquiri/Margarita, most Spritzes, Hurricane, Whisky Sour variations. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, an impressive line of liqueurs that keeps things real - in more ways than one - with the flavours all on point and coming through really cleanly, with great definition, true to form, and without ever being over the top or synthetic.

I fully appreciate how every FAIR liqueur avoids that plasticky synthetic flavoring taste that liqueurs of lesser quality have, as well as how balanced the alcohol here is with the sweetness that does not make it cloying. Even in the sweeter expressions, it's translated in a way that accentuates the flavors and even then, does not overstay its welcome. The profiles of the FAIR liqueurs fall extraordinarily close to the fruits and flavors they are meant to take after, and I must say goes above and beyond to provide nuances that only accentuate its presence, even in the most ingredient-filled cocktails.

Knowing how the brand ensures fair trade practices and sustainability, also makes one more inclined to support its efforts! A definite reliable and quality choice for any bar!

Lok Bing Hong A budding journalist that loves experiencing new things and telling people's stories. I have 30 seconds of irresponsibly sanctimonious brilliance a day. I do not decide when they come. They are not consecutive.