Why Only Two People Know The NORSE CODE Recipe
In many drinks brands, a “secret recipe” is mostly storytelling. For NORSE CODE, keeping the complete recipe tightly controlled is practical.
NORSE CODE is built around real brewed coffee, Cold-Filter Brew extraction, carefully balanced sweetness, texture and cocktail performance. Small changes can affect how the liqueur tastes, pours and performs in the glass.
That is why only two people know the complete recipe: Coffee Spirit Co co-founders Gordon Howell and Yan Pilkington.
Why Keep The Recipe Tightly Controlled?
The answer is not mystery for mystery’s sake.
The NORSE CODE recipe represents more than two years of development and hundreds of small-batch refinements around coffee extraction, sweetness, alcohol structure, filtration, mouthfeel and serve performance.
The ingredients themselves are only part of the story. The detail lies in how they are selected, brewed, balanced, filtered and finished.
Consistency comes from controlling the details.
When real brewed coffee is at the centre of the product, decisions around extraction, balance and finishing can be tasted in the final liqueur.
More Than Two Years Of Development
NORSE CODE was developed from a coffee perspective, with the aim of creating a liqueur that retained genuine brewed coffee character while performing properly in cocktails.
Before the first commercial bottle was sold, the liquid went through more than two years of development, refinement and testing.
Small-batch development allowed individual variables to be adjusted, tasted and tested in real serves rather than simply judged neat.
- Coffee selection and roast profile.
- Cold-Filter Brew extraction.
- Sweetness and sugar balance.
- Alcohol structure.
- Mouthfeel and texture.
- Filtration and finishing.
- Espresso Martini performance.
- Layering and density for serves such as Baby Guinness.
Built With Coffee Expertise
Co-founder Gordon Howell brought more than two decades of speciality coffee experience to the development process. A UK Brewers Cup Champion and UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion, his background in extraction, sensory evaluation, brewing and coffee-and-alcohol serves shaped the way NORSE CODE was developed.
Why Tiny Changes Matter
Recipe development rarely comes down to one dramatic breakthrough. NORSE CODE evolved through repeated testing and small refinements to the way the coffee, spirit, sweetness and finished liquid work together.
Extraction
Changes to extraction can alter bitterness, sweetness, aroma, clarity and finish.
Balance
Adjustments to sweetness and alcohol can change body, texture and how clearly the coffee comes through.
Serve Performance
A liqueur has to work beyond the bottle. Density, dilution, texture and integration all influence how it performs in cocktails.
Each adjustment may be small. Together, they define the finished drink.
Built By Coffee People
NORSE CODE was created from a speciality coffee perspective rather than treating coffee simply as a flavour to add to a spirit.
Co-founder Gordon Howell has spent more than two decades working across speciality coffee, brewing, training, judging, equipment development and coffee competition.
That expertise shaped the philosophy behind NORSE CODE from the beginning: start with the coffee, understand how to extract it, then build the finished liqueur around the flavour and structure it produces.
The Coffee Comes First
NORSE CODE starts with real brewed coffee.
Coffee selection, roast profile, extraction and brewing parameters all influence the flavour that eventually reaches the bottle.
Our Cold-Filter Brew approach was developed to give us greater control over that extraction and to retain the coffee character we want in the finished liqueur.
The aim is simple: coffee should remain recognisable as coffee, with sweetness and spirit supporting it rather than overwhelming it.
Designed For Real Cocktails
NORSE CODE was developed for the glass, not simply for tasting neat. That means recipe decisions are tested against the serves people actually make with coffee liqueur.
Hel Above
At 22% ABV, Hel Above has a brighter, cleaner and more structured profile, particularly suited to Espresso Martinis and coffee-forward cocktails where clarity and coffee character matter.
Shop Hel AboveHel Below
At 16% ABV, Hel Below brings greater body, texture and rounded sweetness. It makes a richer style of Espresso Martini and is particularly suited to Baby Guinness and layered serves where density matters.
Shop Hel BelowEX-01
The Exceptional Series explores what coffee liqueur can become when distinctive coffee, careful roasting, brewing and spirit selection are treated with equal attention.
View EX-01Independent Recognition
The finished NORSE CODE range has been recognised across major drinks and food competitions.
- Hel Above: IWSC 2026 Gold Medal — 95 points.
- Hel Above: Great Taste 2026 — 1 Star.
- Hel Above: International Spirits Challenge 2025 — Bronze Medal.
- Hel Below: World Liqueur Awards 2026 — Country Winner for England.
- Hel Below: Global Liqueur Masters 2025 — Gold Medal.
Awards are not the reason the recipe exists, but independent judging provides useful external recognition of the finished liquid produced by that development process.
Why This Matters
Making coffee liqueur is straightforward. Building one around the character of real brewed coffee takes considerably more control.
Extraction, sweetness, alcohol, filtration, texture and the way the liquid behaves in cocktails all have to work together.
Keeping the complete recipe between the two people who developed it is not about creating artificial mystery. It is about protecting the decisions and processes that make NORSE CODE taste and perform the way it does.
NORSE CODE was never created to be the biggest coffee liqueur. It was created to be the best coffee liqueur we knew how to make.
FAQs
Why do only two people know the NORSE CODE recipe?
The complete recipe is tightly controlled because the finished liqueur depends on many interconnected decisions around coffee extraction, sweetness, alcohol structure, filtration, texture and cocktail performance. Keeping that knowledge concentrated helps maintain consistency.
Is this just a secret recipe story?
No. The point is not secrecy for marketing effect. NORSE CODE went through more than two years of development, and the complete recipe includes the process and balance behind the finished liquid, not simply a list of ingredients.
Who knows the NORSE CODE recipe?
The complete recipe is known only by Coffee Spirit Co co-founders Gordon Howell and Yan Pilkington.
Why does recipe control matter in coffee liqueur?
Coffee liqueur depends on extraction, sweetness, alcohol balance, texture and serve performance. Changes to those variables can affect aroma, bitterness, mouthfeel, density and how the finished liqueur behaves in cocktails.
Is NORSE CODE made with real coffee?
Yes. NORSE CODE is built around real brewed coffee using our Cold-Filter Brew approach, developed to control extraction and preserve coffee character in the finished liqueur.
Can both NORSE CODE liqueurs be used in Espresso Martinis?
Yes. Hel Above produces a brighter, more structured Espresso Martini, while Hel Below gives a richer, rounder style with greater body. Hel Below’s density also makes it particularly suited to Baby Guinness and layered serves.