As the cold weather continued, I was in the mood for some coffee-like flavors, but without the caffeine of coffee. After all, I am drinking at night. I’m not enough of an alcoholic to be drinking in the morning, when caffeine would be welcome.
So I made some cocktails with Kahlua, the coffee-flavored liqueur. I usually don’t use it very much, since I prefer fruity flavors. But sometimes, the mood strikes.
The first one is kind of odd, it’s citrus with Kahlua.
Kahlua Sour
2 oz Kahlua
1 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
lemon slice
I was surprised by how much I actually liked this drink. When I first saw it, I thought there was no way a syrupy coffee liqueur could go well with the acidity of lemon juice. But it was actually surprisingly good, the combination of the acidity with the earthiness of the coffee. It was just a bit too sweet, though. Maybe it’s because I used 2:1 sugar syrup instead of 1:1 like a lot of people. I’d probably halve the sugar next time.
I’ll admit that I tried this next drink because of its name.
Screaming Orgasm
1 oz vodka
1.5 oz Baileys Irish Cream
0.5 oz Kahlua
This didn’t taste like any orgasm I’ve ever had. The vodka was pretty noticeable in this drink, but with the sweetness and creaminess from the Baileys and Kahlua, it wasn’t nearly that bad. It’s definitely a very alcoholic-tasting drink, and also quite rich with the Baileys.
Finally, a shot that’s mostly for looks.
Baby Guinness
0.75 oz Kahlua
0.25 oz Baileys Irish Cream
By layering the Baileys on top of the Kahlua, it looks like a tiny little shot of Guinness. But this drink is more for the looks than the taste. It basically just tastes like the sum of its parts: sweet coffee liqueur with some creamy Baileys on top. I would definitely not want to drink a whole glass of this, it needs something else to balance the sweetness.