Ahhhh! Kahlua! Where would any gourmand be without it? The mere thought of its thick decadence, redolent with fresh roast coffee scents and a deep-seated roast flavor just born to drink alone. Splash some light sweet cream in it, and you have a cocktail of elegant grace and simplicity. Serve it over ice cream or make a light glaze for brownies or cheesecake and you have the crowning touch for a magnificent dessert tray.

Kahlua is nothing if not versatile. It's as happy in a mixed drink as it is in a nice hot cup of strong french roast coffee. Yet all its versatility in the bar or in the kitchen begins in the glass itself...


A Taste of Richness and Decadence...
Pour a shot of Kahlua into a clean snifter and splash it around. Do you see how thick it pours? And just look at that blackness....it's like liquid crushed velvet with the promise of infinite softness and gentleness.

Swirl the Kahlua around the glass and take a big deep sniff. Can't you just close your eyes and feel like you've been magically transported to a small coffee shop far away where coffee is still done the old-fashioned way, with careful selection of the beans and a precision in roasting that reflects artistry, taste, and the experience of a million bygone roastings. The smell hangs in the air, promising an intensity of flavor that seems impossible for a mere liqueuer to deliver.

But of course, Kahlua wouldn't be famous the world over if it didn't carry through on its promise, and the flavor is the real key to opening up the wonders of Mexico's black gift to the spirit drinking world. Sip the Kahlua and let it glide across your tongue. Swish it around in your mouth and savor it. Isn't that a magnificent flavor? It's coffee, it's roast, it's reminiscent of the darkest dark chocolate you've ever head. It's sweet, but you can't help but be a little surprised that it's not cloying or excessive (which you were a bit afraid it might have been, given that thick consistency). Ponder the flavors and see if you can't pick up something of a cocoa character to it, and maybe even a reminsce of cinnamon and vanilla. It's not just a simplistic coffee flavor. Of course it is a coffee flavor, but it's got an almost earthy quality to it that makes me think about a hint of cinnamon. I'm pretty sure there is no cinnamon here, it's just the power of suggestion from a nicely complex coffee signature --- a signature that cries out for rich sweet cream, and milk, and chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, and hot coffee, and all those other wonderful flavors with which it works and plays so well....


A Liqueur Made for Mixing...
Kahlua is a versatile liqueuer indeed. It won't mind if you drink it straight up. It won't mind if you just dash a quick shot into a cup of coffee. But it shines as a mixer. Here's a couple of my favorite ways to experience Kahlua:

Black Russian
1 ounce Kahlua
2 ounces vodka (I use Stoly)

Pour over ice in a short rock glass and serve.

Mudslide
1/2 ounce Kahlua
1/2 ounce Baileys
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce cream

Shake together and pour over cracked ice.

Mexican Hot Chocolate
5 ounces hot chocolate
1 ounce Kahlua
whipped cream

Fix a cup of hot chocolate, add Kahlua and top with whipped cream.

Cockroach
1 ounce Kahlua
1-1/2 ounce tequila

Mix and pour over ice in rock tumbler.

After 18
2 ounces Kahlua
2 ounces white creame de menthe
chocolate milk

Mix into tall old-fashioned glass, top with chocolate milk. Kind of like an Andes thin mint, isn't it?

B-52
1 ounce Kahlua
1 ounce Baileys Irish Cream
1 ounce Grand Marnier

Shake together with crushed ice.


A Liqueur That Makes Dessert Worth the Calories...
If ever there was a liqueur that begged to be used in the kitchen, it must be Kahlua. I've heard that once upon a time, cheesecakes were made without Kahlua, but that sure sounded like a horrifying nightmare story to me! And ice cream without Kahlua poured over it? The horror! (Everybody has tried it with vanilla --- do something daring tonight and pour some Kahlua over a dish of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie! Like it crunchy? Try the Gobfather....and heck, it goes great with the dark fruit flavor of Cherry Garcia.

Nothing spruces up a good bread pudding or a hot fudge nut brownie quite like a swirl of simple Kahlua glaze! And if you thought chocolate mousse was decadent, wait til you blend in some Kahlua. Kahlua chocolate cakes. Kahlua brownies. Kahlua, Kahlua, Kahlua.

Most of the dessert recipes that you'll come across for Kahlua are based on chocolate, but here's a little tip for you. Branch out and try it with raspberries or cherries....the rich flavors of those hearty red fruits works magic with the sweet and roast flavor of Kahlua. Just let your imagination and your tongue guide you.

Just do me a favor. Don't use up all the Kahlua. It makes for a great nightcap too...




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