By Chanda Temple
It’s always a vibe at Alicia’s Coffee LLC., where drinks are served with a side of community and conversation.
But this summer, they’ve added a fresh brew to their batch, and we’re not talking coffee beans. It’s a live DJ with drink specials known as the “Brown Sugar Set,” which is scheduled to go from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with DJ JRad today, Aug. 9, at their shop inside the A.G.Gaston Motel, 1510 Fifth Ave. North.
The “Brown Sugar Set” was created in collaboration with The Modern Green Book and Voltron Printing to showcase some of Alicia’s Coffee’s mocktail specials. The name was inspired by the 2002 romantic comedy movie, “Brown Sugar,’’ which highlighted entrepreneurship and the love for hip hop.
“The whole purpose of the ‘Brown Sugar Set’ is to bring people back to downtown Birmingham. On Fifth Avenue and Fourth Avenue North, there are so many businesses, that some young people and even people our age may not have heard about them or visited,’’ said co-owner Roc Harrell. “The first ‘Brown Sugar Set’ we had, it was so amazing, that we just said we are going to do this once a month.’’
Their goal is to host a Brown Sugar Set the second Saturday of the month with a different DJ and different specials.
Today’s 9-ounce drink specials will include: a blueberry matcha made with blueberry syrup and oat milk, topped with frozen blueberries. There’s also a strawberry vanilla matcha; cherry lime lemonade; cinnamon brown sugar latte; and an espresso lemonade.
Wait! What’s in an espresso lemonade?
“You add a little sugar cane to bring out the bitterness of the coffee, but you put the lemonade in first, a little sugar cane, top it off with espresso shot and add some coffee beans as a garnish,’’ said co-owner Naimah Elmore .
“People love it.”
A former hip hop artist from Birmingham, Naimah found her true calling in running Alicia’s Coffee, which she first operated in Shelby County before moving it to the A.G. Gaston Motel earlier this year with Roc.
“I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and I thought it would be music. But God put the coffee on, and I’m more driven in this business than ever before,’’ Naimah said. “For me, entrepreneurship is showing people you can own something. You can be great in whatever you want to do. You just have to get up and do it.’’
They will have non-specials, too, like the Blueberry Blitz, a lemonade with touches of blue raspberry syrup and strawberry syrup. It is topped with blueberries and strawberries. (It was created by recent Parker High School graduate and football standout Jourdan Crawford, who is now set to play for Auburn University. A portion of the proceeds go into a fund to help Parker High School students in need.)
So, if you have time today, consider stopping in to experience the “Brown Sugar Set” and start your morning off with soul and some encouragement.
They are open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Savor This!: Alicia’s Coffee has more than 50 flavored beverages, and on Juneteenth 2025, they added one more. They call it Harlem, in honor of the Harlem Renaissance, pictured below. Made with their cold brew, it also has almond syrup, vanilla syrup, cane sugar, a cold foam and cinnamon on top. There’s also a sugar-free option.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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