Kahlua

Who can afford the outrageous price the original brings for this? This is not bad and X drank it with coffee for years…still do.

1 1/2 C brown sugar (can use piloncillo…1 C=8 oz)

1 C white sugar

2 C water

1/2 C instant coffee powder

3 C vodka or rum

1 vanilla bean, split (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Combine sugars and water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Lower heat and add coffee slowly, stirring with wire whisk. Stir until coffee is dissolved and allow to cool. Split your vanilla bean with a sharp knife. Add to cooled  mixture and mix in vodka. It must all stay together in gallon jug until vanilla permeates the mixture. 2 weeks will do unless you use extract. IMO, it’s worth the wait to use the vanilla bean.

Note:

I now use rum exclusively for this. Split your vanilla bean and put all of it into bottle. Add your rum and coffee mixture. Shake well daily for a couple weeks. It will  nearly fill a 1.75 liter bottle.

One can also use all white sugar, and add 3-4 T of molasses to sugar mixture, instead of the brown sugar. After all, brown sugar is white sugar with molasses…dark brown sugar is white sugar with more molasses in it…remember this. Rum is made from sugar cane and molasses.

I use a jigger in a cup of coffee.

More notes:

vanilla beans can be bought through Ebay, but one has to buy like 4-5 of them. Grocery stores carry them, but they run about $5 a piece.

I always have a bottle curing, and one from which I consume, so 5 vanilla beans is not a problem.

I store them in a used whisky bottle with a cork.