How to Make Coffee Liqueur at Home

How to Make Coffee Liqueur at Home

You can make coffee liqueur at home for a fraction of the cost of Kahlua.  It is a simple recipe that you’ll enjoy; and it makes a great gift too. When I gave mine out last Christmas I labeled it “Homesteader Hooch“, just to give my family a laugh.  Well everyone loved the coffee liqueur and asking if they’ll be more this year!

This should store for more than a year if kept in a cool, dry, cabinet.  Well that is assuming it lasts that long.

Make Coffee Liqueur – Ingredients

• 2.5 cups of pure cane sugar
• 3 Tablespoons of instant coffee
• 1 Tablespoon of pure vanilla extract (no imitation)
• 4 cups of water, preferably filtered
• 2.5 cups of a good quality vodka, but doesn’t need to be the most expensive
  I have also heard that people make it with rum, which sounds good; but I haven’t tried this myself.

Make Coffee Liqueur – Steps

1. Add water, sugar, and instant coffee to a pan
2. Bring to a boil, stirring often
3. Reduce to a low simmer for 1.5 hours (this will reduce by about half)
4. After the 1.5 hour simmer allow the liquid to cool completely
5. Once completely cooled add in vodka and vanilla
6. Stir
7. Bottle (make sure you sterilize your bottles and lids)
8. Label and decorate to your liking
9. Enjoy a little glass of the leftovers over ice with cream. 😉

This recipe will make about 45 oz of coffee liqueur.  Super easy to double or triple, as needed, for gifts. To decorate my bottles I used circles cut from grocery store paper bags as a topper and tied that down with some natural raffia.  My bottles were just regular mouth Ball Pint Jars but you could try easy cap bottles for a dressier look.

Looking for more homemade gift ideas? Give these a try!

Spice Rubs
Homemade Vanilla Extract