Sunday, November 6, 2011

Make your own coffee liqueur

I like coffee liqueurs, like Kahlua. They're nice with some ice or with some milk or cream. Or with almond milk.

It makes a nice after-dinner or late-evening drink. But what about the caffeine? When I used to drink a lot of coffee, the little bit of caffeine in a coffee liqueur didn't seem to be a big deal. But now that I've cut way back on regular coffee, I've noticed that drinking coffee liqueur late at night can affect my sleep.

So I decided to make my own version. I used decaffeinated coffee, and while I was at it, I went with one that had a little flavor - vanilla macadamia nut. I'm not a huge fan of flavored coffees in the morning, but for a liqueur, I though it might be nice.

And while I was at it, I used some rum along with the typical vodka that most recipes use. As soon as I mixed the coffee with the alcohol and it turned a dark brown, I knew I was on the right track.

After I made this, I looked at some of the other coffee liqueur recipes, and I see that my method is different from the rest. A lot of recipes use instant coffee, while others brew coffee and add it to the booze. I liked the flavor I got from this. It might have been wiser to melt the sugar into the water, and next time I might give that a try. But with enough shaking, it dissolved, so maybe that step isn't necessary, either. It's one less step.

As far as sweetness and strength, you can add more sugar or water, if you prefer. But since this is something you're not going to serve straight, you can certainly water it down when you serve it.

Coffee Liqueur

1 cup ground coffee
1 cup rum
2 cups vodka
1 1/2  cups sugar
1 cup water

Combine all the ingredients in a large jar. Seal and shake to combine. Each day for a week (or longer, if you aren't in a hurry) shake the jar.

After a week, strain through a fine sieve to remove the coffee grounds, then strain through a coffee filter to remove any additional sediment.

Transfer to a suitable container for storage.
Yum

11 comments:

Marnely Rodriguez-Murray said...

Mmhm, I love infused spirits and a coffee flavored one? Even more!

Sherri M said...

This sounds great. I love coffee and have made the decaf switch myself. I'm wondering how much I could reduce the sugar and still make it taste good. I might give this one a go and see. Thanks!

Donna Currie said...

Sherri, you could add the sugar at the end instead of at the beginning, and sample it to see when it gets to the point where you like it. I started with 1/2 cup and worked my way up.

Sherri M said...

Thanks, Donna. I have to reduce my sugar intake so I'll give it a shot!

Barbara | Creative Culinary said...

Geez, great minds and all...mine is currently 'brewing' - just tweeted a pic of it a bit ago!

Donna Currie said...

Barb, mine is almost gone. I'm making a second batch now. This stuff was amazing.

serdunio said...

I will deffinitely try this one! I just made some dried fruit Liqueur for Christmas, and was looking for a recipe that would "speak" to me :) yours did! (I may try and add some almonds to the coffee though ;) ).
thanks!

The Queen of Cups said...

check out our recipe for the
same. Javajuceextract.com

you'll never use instant again!

Ethan T. said...

What kind of rum is working best for people, light, gold, or dark? And has anyone tried spiced like Captain Morgan's or Kraken? I'm specifically thinking of making it with Goslings, which is my favorite rum. I'd love to know what others are using, though.

Donna Currie said...

I prefer a dark rum, and it doesn't have to be high end. I usually check out what's on sale. Goslings would be perfect.

Anonymous said...

My batch turned out beautifully. Your recipe is perfect and so easy! It is the recipe I will use for coffee liqueur from now on. I did use a blend of half Captain Morgan and half dark rum because it was on hand. The spice added a subltle undertone that really works. The liqueur was given as gifts and everyone was delighted. :)

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