Comments on: Homemade Kahlua: Part 1

By: admin

admin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:20:33 +0000

This recipe takes some trial and error to get the proportions and timing all right. I found I was having to deal with the bitterness, too.
Thanks for pointing out the math error. I messed up :-(

By: KroBaar

KroBaar — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:01:39 +0000

I just finished this recipe tonight, I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time as I found your recipe over a year ago! Anyway, after just mixing the blending stock, infused spirits and vanilla, my first little taste it… it still seems to be fairly bitter, though my infusion of the rum with the coffee was about 6 weeks (I forgot about it), so that’s probably why. I’ll certainly try another batch once I finish this one!

One note on your math above… you’ve mixed your units, you took 192 ounces and divided by 3.5 cups, hence the large number of batches (54.86). 192 ounces = 24 cups and 24/3.5 ~= 6.85 batches.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:14:30 +0000

You’re welcome. I’m glad you like the recipe. Okay … for the math … let’s see. To the best of my recollection, I would get about 3.5 cups of infused spirit per batch (starting with 4 cups of rum). Your target is 30 times 16 = 480 ounces. The blending ratio is 4 out of 10 ounces to make the infused spirit part (4 oz plus 6 oz blending stock) or 40%. So 40% of 480 = 192 ounces. You would need to make 54.86 batches to get 192 ounces (192 divided by 3.5). Somewhere around that much. I think it’s best to make smaller batches to nail down the amounts more accurately and to get a feel for it. Things might vary a bit.

By: oj marston

oj marston — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:20:04 +0000

Hello, This recipe looks amazing. Thanks for doing all of the hard work for us! We are wondering based on your recipe of using 4 cups of rum and 1 cup of coffee, how much does a ‘batch’ yeild? We are trying to decide on how much rum we need to buy if we want to get together and make 30 bottles, 16oz each.
Thanks.

By: mogur

mogur — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:04:37 +0000

Thank you. You sure can post an absolutely clear and concise instructable. Last year, you sucked me in, and I followed your recipe almost exactly. That batch was a big hit as Xmas presents, and I had to follow up with two more batches just for ourselves. You have me hooked, now.

I must say that when I modified your recipe somewhat, it definitely went downhill. Maybe it was the shortcuts I took on clarifying the infusion, or adding too much cocoa powder (I primarily use this for coffee nudges and like the chocolate flavor). At any rate, I am edging back to your original formula.

I finish my batches off with more rum and brandy, so that coffee nudges are simpler to make. I found really inexpensive vanilla beans at our local store (surprising since we are on an island), so I constantly infuse vanilla beans in 100 proof vodka. It seems to be better than commercial extract, but at any rate, it’s way more fun. I just top up the vanilla infusion when needed and occasionally replace the beans.

I make a two gallon batch at a time, and use 20 cups of cane sugar per gallon of distilled water. A quart of Karo syrup not only ups the sweetness, but helps prevent crystallization. Thanks again for turning me on to this sport, it is fun.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:37:36 +0000

Actually, I have been giving this some thought in the months since I made this post. It was a little bitter, but not much. I plan to play around with the recipe a little bit – perhaps shorten the infusion time and make a few other minor adjustments.

Re: Sucanat … I have tried other sweeteners and I prefer cane sugar for all my liqueurs. I’m sure there would be some recipe where Sucanat or brown sugar or other sweetener might be harmonious, but cane sugar does the job really well for any recipe I have tried without adding any other flavors.

By: jdhansen63

jdhansen63 — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:02:33 +0000

Have you played with the infusing time? I’ve been making cold brewed coffee for some time, and typical infusing times range from 12 to 24 hours. What’s the benefit of infusing for 4 weeks? Also, I use Sucanat (essentially pure dried sugar cane juice) as a sweetener. Have you tried using anything other than cane sugar for the sugar syrup or caramel? Do you think substituting Sucanat would work?

By: admin

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:51:26 +0000

Vodka will be okay … I used vodka in some early test recipes and it wasn’t bad at all … the main reason for using rum was to imitate the real Kahlua.

By: jono

jono — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:51:33 +0000

So what would happen if I used vodka instead of rum? I don’t necessarily want to make a “Kahlua” but something like that. I just bought some vodka that’s why I ask ;)
anyway looks like a great recipe!

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Twitted by kitchenmonki — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:23:20 +0000

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