Last-minute Gift of Kahlua

Posted on by Doni Chamberlain

affogato

It’s not too late to make coffee liqueur – faux Kahlua – for holiday gifts.

Today’s recipe comes from Pat Maddox of Redding.

If you don’t have any clean, empty bottles, you might check out supplies at a thrift store or one of the dollar stores.

Look for corks at hardware stores. (My sister recently bought some at OSH in Redding.)

Coffee liqueur tastes great in coffee, or poured over vanilla ice cream, or used as an ingredient intiramisu or affogato, one of my favorite, and most simple desserts. (In Italian, affogato roughly translates “drowning” – as in the ice cream is drowning in liqueur.)

Enjoy!

Printer-friendly recipe.

Pat’s Kahlua

3 cups sugar
4 cups water
10 tablespoons instant coffee
5 tablespoons vanilla

Simmer the sugar, water and instant coffee covered for 1 hour.

Cool. Add 5 tablespoons vanilla and a fifth of vodka. Mix well. Pour into bottles. Refrigerate.

Printer-friendly recipe.

Affogato

Vanilla ice cream
Coffee liqueur (or your favorite liqueur)
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate shavings (optional)

Scoop ice cream into small glasses or coffee cups. Drizzle some liqueur over each scoop. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Doni Chamberlain

Independent online journalist Doni Chamberlain founded A News Cafe in 2007 with her son, Joe Domke. Chamberlain holds a Bachelor's Degree in journalism from CSU, Chico. She's an award-winning newspaper opinion columnist, feature and food writer recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps. She's been featured and quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Washington Post, L.A. Times, Slate, Bloomberg News and on CNN, KQED and KPFA. She lives in Redding, California. © All rights reserved.

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