I'm Cheating on Kahlua!

I've been keeping this secret and well, i need to get it off my chest.  Be warned though, once you realise how easy it is to give into temptation, you might just consider infidelity too!

 

There are many recipes for DIY Liqueurs and they are pretty awesome, cheaper than the brand names and delicious.  They make great gifts and even better cocktails.  You can find my Thermomix Recipe for White Chocolate Liqueur here. 

 

There are a few basics that nearly everyone who buys a Thermomix makes.  Vanilla Essence or as I like to call it, Vanilla Vodka because I just can't leave it long enough to turn into essence. It's pretty easy and in fact doesn't require a Thermomix at all.  But it does require Vanilla beans.  My passport expired, but fortunately I have an awesome friend who went to Bali recently and bought home plenty of beans.  Most of the popular Thermomix pages discuss where to source vanilla beans from, so you don't have to book a holiday. (But you do deserve one!) 

 

 

 

Another popular recipe doing the rounds is Iced Coffee Syrup.  Posted by Fruityone on the Recipe Community, it lends itself perfectly to a little tweaking depending on your tastes.  I'm not a coffee snob, so instant coffee works fine for me, but if Espresso is more your style, then use that instead.  No judgement here.

 

 

 

And here's the dirty little secret, if you mix both of these together, you make Kahlua. Its seriously that easy and totally authentic.  I have perused many recipes and I can tell you that this is the real deal, hiding in plain sight and next to each other on the pantry shelf.

 

 

Here's the details......

 

Ingredients 

Vanilla Essence

750ml Vodka (medium quality stuff, about 30% proof)

10-12 whole vanilla beans

 

Iced Coffee Syrup (as per Recipe Community)

1 cup raw sugar

1 cup instantcoffee 

1 cup boiling water

 

Method

Vanilla Essence

Place your vanilla beans in your vodka.

Place in a dark place for a few weeks - months.

 

Notes:

If you already have a batch of this steeping away in your cupboard, then grab it out and use it right now. 

You can adjust your finished essence back to vanilla vodka by combining half essence and half plain vodka.

Top up your bottle of essence with more vodka and pop it back in the cupboard for next time!

 

Iced Coffee Syrup

Dissolve your coffee and sugar with a cup of boiling water in your TM bowl.

Let steep for 10 minutes.

Cook at 90 degrees for 10 minutes, speed 3.

Allow to cool.

And now for the magic

Kahlua

Into a sterilised bottle (any size), add half Vanilla Vodka and half Iced Coffe Syrup.

Give it a quick shake, you can use it straight away,  no need to set aside to infuse.

Seriously, that's it. Temptation bottled.

 

Now for a cocktail.  Have you tried my Iced Espresso Martini? How about a White Russian Milkshake?