A home version of Kahlúa or Tia Maria: cold-brewed coffee, a brown-sugar syrup and dark rum, with a vanilla bean, rested a few days and bottled. It comes out at about 21–22% alcohol, the same as Kahlúa, and makes White Russians, Espresso Martinis and a good splash in hot coffee.
This infuses bought spirit; it involves no distilling, which is illegal at home in the United States.
Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Coffee Liqueurs, Irish Coffee and Coffee Cocktails page.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (about 25 g) coarsely ground dark-roast coffee
- 1½ cups (355 ml) cold water, divided
- ½ cup (100 g) turbinado or demerara sugar
- 2 cups (475 ml) dark rum, 40% ABV
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Directions
- Stir the coffee into ¾ cup of the cold water in a jar, cover and leave 12 to 16 hours at room temperature. Strain through a paper coffee filter.
- Make a syrup: heat the sugar with the remaining ¾ cup of water, stirring, until dissolved. Cool.
- In a clean jar or bottle, combine the cold-brew concentrate, the cooled syrup, the rum and the split vanilla bean. Shake well.
- Leave in a cool, dark place for 4 to 5 days, shaking once a day, then taste. Leave the vanilla longer for a stronger vanilla note.
- Remove the vanilla bean, strain through a fine filter if cloudy, and bottle.
Notes
Where this comes from Adapted from Floating Kitchen’s homemade coffee liqueur, itself after Serious Eats: ¼ cup coffee cold-brewed in part of 1½ cups water, ½ cup turbinado sugar made into a syrup with the rest, 2 cups dark rum, 1 vanilla bean, 4 to 5 days. Strength This kitchen’s arithmetic: 2 cups of 40% rum (0.8 cup alcohol) in about 3¾ cups of finished liqueur gives roughly 21–22% ABV. With 50% (100-proof) rum, about 27%. Keeping it At this strength and sugar it keeps well in a cool cupboard; no tested shelf life has been published. Discard it if it grows mould, starts to ferment or smells off. Variations Vodka for a cleaner liqueur, brandy for a richer one; a strip of orange peel; a little roasted chicory, like St. George’s NOLA. The law Infusing bought spirit involves no distilling. Selling any liqueur needs federal and Michigan licences. The photo Bottles of coffee liqueur made at a winery in Israel, standing in for a homemade batch.