By Santa Cruz Mountain Mama
Tis the season to be merry. Not true actually. Tis the season to be miserable. It is cold and dark for more hours than not. That is where most holiday traditions come from, a way to not be miserable. Gift giving as a tradition stems from making sure people in your village which nowadays means yours circle, are warm and fed without being patronizing. If someone looks cold give them a blanket or jacket. If someone looks hungry give them some food. It should say Tis the season to do whatever you can to make yourself and others feel merry. That makes more sense to me.
Traditions like bonfires and yule logs all come from this idea. Warmth and food in the middle of winter. That is what makes people merry.
It is in that spirit that I give you this wonderful recipe my sister and I have been making and giving for years. Homemade Kahlua. It makes people warm and merry. It is incredibly easy to make and so yummy.
Homemade Kahlua
Ingredients:
4 cups strong delicious black coffee
4 cups Alcohol (bourbon whisky, vodka, brandy, rum or tequila)
4 cups organic sugar
2 Vanilla beans.
Cut up the vanilla bean into 2 to 3 inch pieces. Place one or two pieces into a nice glass bottle with a good sealing lid. In a saucepan combine sugar and coffee until all sugar is dissolved. Do not cook or it will be bitter even with the sugar, then cool. Once cooled add the alcohol. Pour it into the bottles, seal it up and put in a dark place for 2 to 3 weeks. That is it. It is very delicious, makes a great gift and will help make the season more merry.
I say alcohol in the recipe because you can use any kind you like. Traditionally, rum is used. I have, however, made some fine blends with vodka, brandy or tequila. I have never tried gin, I’m just not a fan. Vodka is a neutral flavor but the others definitely give it a different flare. Use what you like or better yet, play around with it. For us mountain mamas I do like moonshine or whisky, Fireball works great. The only problem is when my man says, “why are you adding coffee to my whisky woman… are you nuts”. He changes his tune when he gets to drink the finished product in his coffee on Yule or Christmas morning.
The truth is the stronger the alcohol then more alcohol flavor will come out in the finished product. So be mindful of the person receiving your gift, or go nuts in your experiments. There is no wrong way. Please contact me through instagram: santacruzmountainmama or Facebook.
Yule Tidings
