My friend and client, Brande, author of the very excellent blog, Tomato Envy, recently turned me on to Food in Jars, a fabulous small batch canning blog (and book). Marisa posted a recipe for vanilla coffee liqueur that I simply could not resist, given that my hubster, Leo, loves it when my brother-in-law sneaks him a glass of his own homemade Kahlua. It is now in progress in my pantry. Here’s how I made mine…
Vanilla Coffee Liqueur IN PROGRESS!
- Buy insanely giant jar at Container Store.
- Order vanilla beans from eBay.
- Order Instant Espresso Coffee from Amazon (be sure to buy enough so that you can make espresso for yourself!)
- Become distracted and completely obsessed with espresso, Cuban coffee, and finding a stovetop espresso maker.
- Buy giant bottle of vodka at Costco, ensuring that entire Costco staff thinks I’m a total alcoholic.
- Worry about Costco reputation.
- Wait for eBay and Amazon orders to arrive.
- Wait some more when Amazon espresso arrives, but eBay takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get my vanilla beans here (in real people terms, my “forever” means, “about 5 days”).
- Consider drinking espresso, but opt not to do so.
- FINALLY, when all ingredients arrive, pretty much throw everything into the insanely giant jar from Container Store (following instructions).
- Wait.
I’m currently on Step 11, of what has, ironically, become a 12-step program. But why should you have to wait, just because I’m waiting, too?
What I noticed in the making:
- A 2-ounce jar of espresso contains just enough for you to make your booze plus a little left over for about 2-3 cups of espresso for you to enjoy, which I did whilst making this recipe.
- Vanilla beans are a pain to scrape. You can chop them in 1/2″ lengths horizontally instead and get the same results.
- Costco doesn’t really notice what I buy, but if they did, they would definitely judge me. I don’t care—I get my 2% back.
- Patience might be a virtue, but it’s not one that I possess, despite being quite capable of making concoctions that require a substantial waiting time.
Vanilla Coffee Liqueur
Ingredients
- 3 cups organic granulated sugar
- 2 cups filtered water
- 3/4 cups instant espresso
- 4 vanilla beans, chopped horizontally in 1/2" lengths
- 3 cups cheap vodka
- Giant glass jar
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in a pot, heat over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Add espresso.
- When espresso grains have dissolved, remove pot from heat.
- Pour espresso mixture into giant glass jar.
- Split vanilla beans horizontally and throw 'em into the jar.
- Pour vodka into jar and mix.
- Let mixture "marinate" 4-6 weeks before rebottling and giving as gifts (or drinking).
Notes
Infusion time: 4-6 weeks
���©2013 Putting Something By, Susan Baroncini-Moe
