I tried this last week with a fifth of 100 proof, espresso-flavored vodka, mocha flavored coffee (12 cups), 3/4 pounds light brown sugar (all I had), a cup of white granulated sugar, and some of my homemade Madagascar vanilla bean/Jim Beam Black Label bourbon extract. Came out pretty smooth, rich and tasty.
Today I got a fifth of 190 proof Clear Springs and substituted it for the vodka. Used 7 cups of strong mocha flavored coffee, 8 cups of strong hazelnut coffee, 1# light brown sugar, 1# dark brown sugar, maybe half a cup of white granulated sugar, and the home made vanilla. Also tossed a few vanilla bean sections in each bottle. Seems a bit on the strong side with the 190 proof grain alcohol. I may have to dilute it further.
Fun stuff to experiment with. And I now have more Kahlua than I can drink in a couple of years. Unless I go on a White Russian (or Caucasian as the Dude calls them) diet, LOL.

I'm just trying your recipe, and I cant wait to taste, I will tell you I used Seattle's best #5 (dark roast w/smokey choc. Tones, and Smirnoff now sells a hi octane vodka 190). Will let u know, how it turns out, but I will also try the velvet choc millstone just to compare. Thanx, cold in North Dakota.

Going to give this recipe a try. GROLSCH Beer bottles are the best. They have an attached sealer cap and they are green. Get a case of beer and empty the beer into a huge 5 gallon water jug. The beer is a great gift for a couch potato and then you have all the bottles for your homemade kahlua!!!

I just made a batch using this recipe but had to substitute the Clear Springs or Everclear with Vodka because I can't get it where I live. This is a great recipe and I will definitely use it again. Very fast and very easy!

Can anyone tell me how much "1 bottle Everclear" measures??? I assumed it to be a fifth, but my mother said that was too much alcohol. Would love to make this recipe, but need clarification on the alcohol. Someone please respond, Christmas is coming fast!!!

I'm in the process of making a batch for the holidays. The Everclear I am using is 750 ml which is considered a fifth. I also bought brown beer bottles (750 ml) from the local beer making store--they have flip tops which make them perfect for bottling kahlua. ENJOY!

Thank you Valerie for this recipe. It sounds so yummy!!!... AND thank you to all who had submitted your comments and suggestions. They are all so helpful and gave me a ton of ideas.

I made this a month ago and my only change was adding a vanilla bean. Loved the bean flavor but there will be remnants from the bean on the bottom of the bottle, if that bothers you. I think you can tinker with it and maybe add a little less sugar and coffee to make it stronger and less sweet. I used a fifth of vodka, 100 proof and godiva chocolate coffee. It was awesome as is though. Very easy.

Valerie~ just made your Kahlua, it is awesome! Even though our state doesn't sell Everclear or clear springs, I did use a good brand of vodka, it is delicious!!! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe! Merry Christmas! Thanks again! Kelle

Thanks Valerie for this recipe! I've made Kahlua for years and with white sugar...never occured to use brown! Thanks also to Laurie about adding coco powder in with coffee! Very smooth with Palm Rum!

Using real coffee definitely makes for a lot more work and cleanup but we're glad we did. We found that the recipe was a little weak with just the ground coffee so we added some instant espresso after filtering the grounds through a french press (probably could have just boiled it down longer; maybe next time). This made for a really nice blend and was an easy way to reach our preferred coffee strength.

For those interested in adding almond extract, I'd advise caution. We put more in a second batch than the first and regretted it. Use sparingly! We were trying to kill a half-gallon of Everclear (1.75 liters) and had to do it in two batches due to too small a pot. In each of the two batches we used 18 cups of water, a ton of coffee (grounds removed then fortified with a cup of instant espresso), 5 lbs of a blend of dark and light brown sugar, a cup-ish of pure cocoa, a few table spoons of vanilla extract, and a couple table spoons of almond extract. Alcohol-wise, it was still a little too strong with half the bottle in each batch. This probably could have been three batches or two with a bigger pot (22-24 cups, I'd guess). Cooling was very fast when putting the hot pot in the sink with a cold water slurry.

Overall, we were pleased but will make some changes for next time, most notably, less almond and alcohol. Tasting it alone, you could tell it needed to age awhile. Adding a little half and half on the rocks, it was excellent! Thanks for sharing!

I put a little spin of my own on this recipe and it turned out AWESOME! I used Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee and replaced the everclear with light Rum. I made a double batch first time out with this recipe and it yielded 1 1/2 gallons. The outcome was the best Kahlua I have ever made. Thanks for sharing the recipe...Happy Holidays!

Maya, I give homemade kahlua as gifts every year, and I buy olive oil bottles at Bed Bath and Beyond. The bottles come with a pour spout top, which I take out and replace with a decorative bottle stopper. I usually also tie a pretty ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Be careful if you buy bottles from Hobby Lobby, as someone suggested. I looked there one year, and almost everything I found was not for food use.

Thank you Valerie! My husband and I just made some and it is soooooo good! I used Red Velvet Cake Coffee Beans and ground them up!!! Its going to be a hit for our family Christmas Party! :)

Great recipe. How about maybe adding some hot chocolate mix in some how to get more thickness and chocolate taste