While searching for items to make for my family’s edible gift baskets, I came across a recipe that made my eyes widen and start grinning from ear to ear. Homemade flavored liquor?! Yes!! I had to try it. My husband has made a couple of flavors of wine before, and the thought of making your own alcohol from scratch was such a cool concept to me.
Since I came across the recipe right after Thanksgiving, I still had time to make the liquor and let it set for a minimum of two weeks before bottling it up for distribution. The liquor ended up sitting in the coffee beans for a total of a month, since it didn’t get divided up until the day before Christmas…so the timing was perfect. Since all of this was new to me, it made me a little nervous, but very excited at the same time. I couldn’t wait to try it out. Christmas Day after our daughter went to bed, the liquor had to be tested out…and it was fantastic. I mixed it up with some milk and chocolate syrup, served it on ice. It was a little too good. This liquor would also be perfect for mudslides!
Homemade Coffee Liquor Recipe:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups water
1/2 instant coffee granules
3 cups vodka
1/4 cup whole coffee beans
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, brown sugar, and water. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in coffee granules. Cool. Combine coffee mixture, vodka, and coffee beans, pour into 1 gallon jar. Cover tightly and store in a dark place at room temperature for at least two weeks. Shake jar gently once daily. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth into jars, discarding coffee beans. Cover tightly, store at room temperature. Makes about 6 cups of liquor.
