Cilantro is a familiar flavor to fans of Mexican cuisine – it enhances tacos, salsa and countless other dishes. But it is not often found in cocktails. A company founded in Denmark, of all places, hopes to change that.
“We know cilantro has the power to excite people,” says Lars Williams, president of Empirical, an artisanal spirits company he co-founded in 2017. “Cilantro is in so many homes already, in so many different parts of the world — how often do you see it chopped on a cutting board, ready to brighten a meal? We wanted to bottle that same brightness in a way that’s both premium and approachable. A spirit with a flavor profile that would sit between novelty and familiarity.”