Coffee Liqueur

I very much enjoy Coffee Liqueur and my vehicle for consumption is a White Russian.  I like using Kahlua but it is expensive and it has come to my attention, through YouTube video's that it is quite simple to make your own.  This will be a post to evaluate a number of recipies over time to see if  one really can make something as good as Kahlua and how various different recipes and ingredients do at replicating the flavors

The basic ingredients are Coffee, Sugar, and some type of spirit (rum for Kahlua).  Then additional flavorings like chocolate and vanilla can be added for extra complexity.  I look forward to exploring the various options.

Attempt #1 (9-28-25):

Mine (L) and Kahlua (R)

For my first attempt, I am using a recipe from the Savidge Kitchen YouTube Channel.  I am going to make something close to 1.75 ml to fill an old Kahlua bottle so this will be a double batch of their recipe.  This is:

• Recipe:
• 4 Cups of white sugar
• 2 cups of coffee 
• I used Folgers Classic which I drink every morning and like
• I make it strong with about 4-5 tbs for 2 cups
• 4 cups of my Oak aged everclear (which was diluted down to "barrel strength" of ~62%)
• 2 tbs of imitation vanilla extract
• Process:
• I combined the sugar and fresh brewed coffee in a 2 quart mason jar and swirled to dissolve the sugar - this got most of it
• I then added the 4 cups of alcohol and shook it to mix
• Vanilla was then added (I think the flavor contribution of this was pretty light compared with the coffee and whiskey flavors)
• I let this sit over night to mix and then transferred into the serving bottle
• Flavor Notes:
• Aroma:
• Coffee is most prominent followed by a strong alcohol character and oak.  Some vanilla mixed in there as well
• Appearance:
• Dark reddish brown and clear.  Leaves legs on the glass
• Flavor:
• Sweet with a chocolatey and coffee flavor up front (no chocolate in this) then followed by a pretty strong boozy character.  The oaky bourbon is a very strong contributor here
• Mouthfeel:
• Full bodied and very sticky on the palate
• Overall:
• Rich and syrupy with a pretty nice coffee flavor.  It is very boozy and the bourbon flavor contributions are pretty profound
• Comparison to Kahlua:
• I think Kahlua has a much stronger coffee character both in aroma and flavor (also kind of a nicer and stronger chocolate-like component - almost like Hershey's syrup).  The Kahlua is a bit sweeter than mine but it is fairly close (even a small amount of either of these is difficult to drink on its own).  Mine is much more boozy and I think has a bit more going on in terms of complexity with the bourbon flavors.  I like them both but think the stronger coffee flavor makes the Kahlua better than this version I made (I didn't follow the recipe for use of coffee so this is no reflection on the original source).  This is a good data point for next time

Attempt #2 (1-1-26):

For the second attempt at this I'm am going to try to increase the coffee flavor which was a major difference between Attempt #1 and Kahlua.  To do this I'm going to use freeze dried coffee which can more easily be used to increase concentration than drip coffee.  I will use the same recipe otherwise

L to R:  Kahlua, Attempt #1, Attempt #2

• Recipe:
• 4 cups white sugar
• 20g of Freeze dried French Roast Coffee

• 2 cups of water
• 4 cups of Oak Aged Everclear (bourbon) at ~62% ABV
• 2 tbs of imitation vanilla extract
• Process:
• I combined the sugar, freeze dried coffee, and boiling water in a 2 quart mason jar and swirled to dissolve the sugar - this got most of it
• I then added the 4 cups of alcohol and shook it to mix
• Vanilla was then added (I think the flavor contribution of this was pretty light compared with the coffee and whiskey flavors)
• I let this sit over night to mix and then transferred into the serving bottle
• Flavor Notes:
• Aroma:
• Rich coffee then oaky and boozy bourbon
• Appearance:
• Dark brown and fairly clear.  Leaves legs on the glass
• Flavor:
• Strong coffee flavor with a very sweet and syrupy character.  Pretty boozy with the flavor of the bourbon clearly present
• Mouthfeel:
• Full bodied and sticky on the palate
• Overall:
• Rich and syrupy with a really nice coffee character.  It's fairly complex with the bourbon
• Comparison to Kahlua:
• The Kahlua has a richer coffee flavor and a chocolaty character which mine lacks (tastes a lot like Hersey's syrup actually).  As I noticed with the last one, Kahlua is a bit more syrupy than mine.  I think Attempt #2 has a lot more coffee flavor than Attempt #1 did and is better tasting and smelling