Spirits of the alcoholic sort aren't usually my thing... however a 2008 Christmas gift of a homemade bottle of Kahlua became a treasure I savored for years. Rich, sweet and bursting with mocha flavors, this coffee liquor is a fabulous treat over crushed ice, or for me, it's become a holiday baking ingredient I can't live without. I'll admit I had never tasted the liquor before my girlfriend gave me a bottle, but polishing off the bottle in a matter of months I begged for another the following Christmas. Now out of Kahlua again, it's time I learned to make this necessity myself. And who knew it was so easy? With only 5 ingredients (including water), Kahlua mixes together in less than 20 minutes and then needs a just a few weeks to infuse with heavenly vanilla to bring it to its full potential. A simple internet search brings a plethora of recipes, each bringing its own variance to the table, or shall we say, to the bottle. White vs. brown sugar, rum vs. vodka, and brewed vs. instant coffee, each variation allows one to bring one's own touch to the concoction, be it traditional or not. For our first experiment, we decided to keep to the basics - coffee, vodka, granulated sugar and vanilla beans. My quandary though, became brewed or instant coffee? Unable to decide, I made batches of both. Advice from a facebook post on DIY Kahlua brought agreement on one thing in particular... good coffee. Most responders recommended using the best coffee available, and let me just note here that knowledge of making a good, strong cup of brewed coffee is a plus (and perhaps not my forte...). As for the alcohol, the general consensus had me using a nice medium grade vodka, not too cheap, but definitely not the top shelf stuff. And vanilla beans? I like to use the best, and for me, my one stop shop is Beanilla. Having used their beans and bottles for our general baking as well as DIY gifts for the last few years, I wouldn't think of using anything else. Being somewhat of a traditionalist, my first batch included freshly brewed coffee. Might I just mention here that my husband is the coffee maker in the house, and my "strong" freshly brewed coffee left much to be desired. Hence, I found my first batch of Kahlua to be somewhat weak - if you are a good coffee maker though, you may have better luck. My second batch however, following the Beanilla recipe with instant coffee (we used Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso Coffee), proved to be more traditional and brought a rich, dark coffee liquor immediately begging to be tasted. Our conclusion to the DIY Kahlua experiment recommends using very strong coffee if you use freshly brewed, or better yet, stick with the majority of the recipes out there and use a premium instant brand for an even stronger result. Agreeing with our facebook poll we suggest: ~ Good coffee ~ ~ Decent Vodka ~ ~ Excellent Vanilla ~ ~ Cute bottles ~ Beanilla's DIY Homemade Kahlua Fabulous and better than store bought! This version is perfect for gift giving. Recipe may be halved, doubled, etc. Recipe from Beanilla Printer Friendly 2 cups water 3/4 cups instant coffee crystals 2 1/4 cups good quality vodka 4 cups granulated sugar 1 vanilla bean - cut into 1/3's Mix water, sugar and coffee crystals into a large pot. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add the vodka and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into three 12.5 oz. bottles. Cut each vanilla bean into 1/3's and drop 1/3 into each bottle. Cap. Store in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks. Strain, remove the beans and then re-bottle. Freshly Brewed Coffee Kahlua Strong, freshly brewed coffee is the key here... my somewhat weak coffee skills didn't bring the best results. Printer Friendly 2 1/2 cups very strong, freshly brewed coffee 4 cups granulated sugar 2 1/4 cups good quality vodka 1 vanilla bean cut into 1/3's Add sugar to hot coffee and stir until dissolved. Cool freshly brewed coffee mixtures to room temperature. Add the vodka and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into three 12.5 oz. bottles. Cut each vanilla bean into 1/3's and drop 1/3 into each bottle. Cap. Store in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks. Strain, remove the beans and then re-bottle. "Need it Now" Homemade Kahlua Adding vanilla extract at the time of brewing makes the Kahlua ready for immediate use. I found this version to be quite tasty, but not quite a good as the infused version above. Printer Friendly 2 cups water 3/4 cups instant coffee crystals 2 1/4 cups good quality vodka 4 cups granulated sugar 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Mix water, sugar and coffee crystals into a large pot. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add the vodka and and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into three 12.5 oz. bottles. Enjoy immediately. Liv Life Note: My internet research turned up numerous Kahlua variations... first off, my next batch will include a teaspoon or two of cocoa nibs for a chocolaty touch. Also of interest, rum may be used in place of the vodka for a somewhat different combination. I've yet to try, but this also sounds enticing. Note... all of our bottles are can be found at Beanilla! ix water, sugar and coffee crystals. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add vodka. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into 6, 12.5 oz. bottles. Cut each vanilla bean into thirds and drop bean into each bottle. Cap. After 2-3 weeks strain, remove beans and rebottle. - See more at: http://www.beanilla.com/blog/homemade-kahlua-recipe#sthash.l2FXOtb7.dpuf 4 cups water 1 1/2 cups instant coffee crystals 4 1/2 cups 100 proof vodka 8 cups sugar 2 vanilla beans Directions: Mix water, sugar and coffee crystals. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add vodka. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into 6, 12.5 oz. bottles. Cut each vanilla bean into thirds and drop bean into each bottle. Cap. After 2-3 weeks strain, remove beans and rebottle. Makes the perfect gift! - See more at: http://www.beanilla.com/blog/homemade-kahlua-recipe#sthash.l2FXOtb7.dpu