We survived the holidays and I hope you did, too. All I have left to do is upload photos to Ravelry for the knitted gifts and try to clean up the tornado that seems to have gone through my house - I have a long weekend coming up, so I should be able to find some time to get some cleaning done. Fingers are crossed. It's no secret that I'm a coffee addict and last week on my snow day I mentioned that I made homemade coffee liqueur. The making and gifting of this lovely creation has become a tradition of ours during the holidays - this year was no exception and as the gifts were opened, cheers erupted over the bottles of Drunken Joe. Yes, we have given it a name and designed labels. We're weird that way.
We've been making this for several years now and it's been a learning process to get it just the way we want and this year I think the recipe might have been perfected! It's not only delicious, it's also easy and fast to make!
So, gather your supplies and let's get to making some Drunken Joe!
Note: We usually make a double or triple batch and the recipe below is for a single batch.
Drunken Joe Coffee Liqueur
- 1 - 10 cup pot double-strength dark roast coffee
- 2 lbs brown sugar
- 2 tbs dark molasses
- 4 tbs vanilla extract
- 1 - 750 ml bottle Everclear
First, brew your coffee - we use Black Gold which is our favorite from our local coffee roaster Black Waters Coffee. Use a high quality coffee, this is not a time to be thrifty and use cheap stuff.
Add your hot freshly brewed coffee to a large pot on the stove. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer and add brown sugar and molasses. Continue to heat while stirring until the brown sugar is dissolved.
Let cool to room temperature and add the Everclear and vanilla to taste.
It's ready to enjoy right away or you can let it rest for a few days for a little more flavor. It also stores really well. We pour ours into a large glass bottle (or bottles) and then fill smaller random bottles we've saved throughout the year for gifting. Easy, right?!
Enjoy and cheers!