DIY Kahlua

Normally, I’m your resident Alternative Therapy advocate. So, this recipe is a departure from the norm. This ISN’T for your health. It’s just so delicious that I had to share.

I made brewed coffee a few days ago. Starbucks Verona dark. I made it strong, using lots of ground coffee. After I drank my coffee, I couldn’t just throw away those primo coffee grounds. So, I got a small glass jar and a screw-on lid. I scraped the coffee grounds into the jar, then covered the grounds with Everclear (potable) alcohol. It’s like Vodka. I also poured in a left-over half cup of coffee to top off the jar. In the next days, I shook the jar whenever I thought of it.

Tonight I’m having a fantastic pseudo-Kahlua mixed drink. A little of my coffee tincture, a few drops of McCormick Peppermint Extract, some 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup from Sugar & Spice, Mendon, Vermont (not a normal Kahlua ingredient), and some Promised Land Whole Milk (cream, if you want to be more accurate) makes a very convincing imitation of a Kahlua Mint Kiss Martini. Oh, so delicious.

Online recipes never say to use “used” coffee grounds, but I can’t imagine the flavor being any better even if I hadn’t made, and drunk, my breakfast coffee first with those coffee grounds. This must be the ultimate recycling success story.

A nice thing about DIY Kahlua is that you can make a very small batch. You won’t get tired of it. And you’ll still have Everclear left over for more herbal tinctures. DoTerra Peppermint Oil would be another good option for the mint flavor, rather than McCormick’s.
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