On a trip to Mexico several years ago, I bought a large bottle of Kahlua coffee liqueur. When I came back, I was gifted another bottle. I don’t drink Kahlua often, so I found other uses for it and it became a favorite. So much so, that I now make coffee liqueur at home.
A quick search on Google indicates that Kahlua is gluten-free and dairy-free. But, rather than going to buy some Kahlua, I listened to the large bottle of potato vodka in the freezer that was calling out to be infused with coffee.
I adapted a recipe from the Intoxicologist for Coffee Liqueur Infusion which is based on the Kahlua Especial ultra-premium version of the coffee liqueur. According to a press release I found:
“the taste [of Kahlua Especial] offers a blend of dark chocolate and cafe mocha and the aroma is a blend of vanilla coffee with a hint of rum.”
Sounded delicious. The Intoxicologist’s recipe has the strongest coffee ground to liquid ratio of any recipe I looked at – definitely a plus. But, I decided to tinker with her recipe to see if I could achieve the description above (besides the fact that I didn’t have all of the ingredients she called for).
Kahlua uses Arabica coffee beans grown in Mexico; I used Sumatran beans. Instead of a vanilla bean (the traditional, and probably superior way to add vanilla to a coffee liqueur), I used a rich white vanilla extract from the Dominican Republic. I added a teaspoon of cocoa powder to the coffee grounds to deepen the chocolate flavor. And, instead of straight vodka – VikingFjord Vodka distilled from potatoes in this case, I added a cup of rum.
Kahlua Especial-style Coffee Liqueur Infusion, Home-made
Notes
For best flavor, grind coffee beans finely just before use.
Ingredients
- • 3 cups filtered water
- • 2 cups freshly ground coffee*
- • 1 tsp cocoa powder
- • 1 ½ cups granulated cane sugar
- • ½ cup brown sugar
- • 2 cups vodka
- • 1 cup rum
- • 1 tsp high-quality vanilla extract (or 1 whole vanilla bean sliced lengthwise)
- • Cheesecloth or coffee filter
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil. Remove boiling water from the heat.
- Pour the coffee grounds and cocoa powder into the water, stir briefly, and set aside for about 5 minutes to brew.
- Pour the water and coffee through a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth to remove coffee grounds. It may take a couple of times. You should wind up with about 2 cups of stong coffee; the rest will have been absorbed by the coffee grounds (which make great compost or plant food supplements).
- Place granulated and brown sugar into a large saucepan. Pour the liquid into the saucepan with the sugar and stir over medium heat until all of the sugar is melted (5 -6 minutes). Do not boil.
- Cool coffee/sugar mixture completely before stirring in vodka, rum, and vanilla extract. Pour coffee infusion into a sealable glass bottle and store in a dark, dry, cool place.
- Gently shake contents once or twice a week. Filter liquid again after two weeks to remove any remaining grounds (and the vanilla bean if you used one). Return the bottle to its storage place and age it for a few months, tasting it every once in a while to check for readiness.
- Add the result to your favorite recipe or savor it in a drink!