If you’re familiar with our Highwood menu, you know that one of our specialty drinks is called The Engine 37. This drink was created in honor of the engine which operated out of the fire station there before it was decommissioned. When it came time to open new shops, the ownership team knew that they wanted each cafe to have a special signature drink that pays homage to the location and can only be made there. A few months ago, they tasked Tayah and I with the creation of the Libertyville signature drink, and today we’re excited to announce its release! We spent weeks meeting to discuss complementing flavors, whipping up various syrups in the kitchen, and saying “no” to a lot of concoctions. But finally, one receipe rose to the top, a delicious bevagage today and onward known as The Unit B.

Rewinding back to those early chats with Tayah around our vision for Libertyville’s specialty drink, we knew we wanted to curate something that reflected the community we serve and embodied the space we serve from. Many of our customers love the deep, rich taste of brown sugar so we wanted to start there. We talked through various complementary flavors and possible recipes, including adding citrus and vanilla or even cinnamon and pecans to pair with brown sugar. But nothing felt quite right at first.

After stirring up some recipes in the kitchen, we had a brilliant revelation and decided to match the sweetness of brown sugar with the earthy flavors of rosemary and lavender. This felt so fitting for our café, as we are home to a jungle of sorts and are located next to Liberty Lake! To make this drink even more unique, we chose to steep Earl Grey tea in our syrup, adding notes of bergamot and enhancing the floral profile of this drink.

In choosing the name for our signature drink, we had lots of ideas. Initially, we wanted to capture the greenhouse we inhabit. Thinking through various plant names or phrases, nothing sounded quite right. Ultimately, we landed on Unit B—the name of the space where Tala began and that is currently our roastery! This name is a nod to the history of our space while also honoring how far we’ve come and an even brighter future ahead.

Stop by our Libertyville café and try The Unit B, a sweet and earthy latte with notes of brown sugar, rosemary, lavender, and Earl Grey. We love the delicious floral profile of this latte and know you will too!

Introducing the Unit B