Let's talk about Tipsy Coffee

How have you been coffee lover?

Merry Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Near. ✨ This will be the last post of the year, and I wanted to write a holiday edition post. What’s better than alcohol (especially with coffee) for the holidays?

Can coffee make you tipsy?

If you are someone who enjoys alcohol and coffee, this one is for you. And even if you don't, you can tease your friends by not stopping while discussing this.

If I think back on my early encounters with coffee, other than milk coffee of course, it was Black Russian (a.k.a. Espresso Martini), which is a cocktail that tasted like coffee and also got me tipsy.

"What a jackpot", I thought. It was very interesting.

Until then, I hadn't imagined the taste of coffee to be in anything other than a regular cup of morning coffee. I asked the bartender how it was made and he mentioned "coffee liqueur".

I wasn't a coffee snob back then. I gradually forgot about that and went on with my life.

Recently, I was gifted this bottle of coffee liqueur, called Quaffine, which brought back those memories back and made me all jolly.

It tasted like a plum cake with a nice coffee flavour, which might be because of the spices and butter it has got.

I loved drinking this coffee liqueur, just neat-ly topped with ice. I also tried mixing it. My favourite mixer was plain tonic water. It balanced the coffee flavours and the sourness shockingly well.

If you've ever had espresso tonic, this is a better (alcoholic) version of that.

Let's talk some History

It all started way back in the 10th century. It was first created as a way to preserve the flavour of coffee.

How badly should you love coffee to come up with something like this?

It originated in Ethiopia (there are several theories about the origin though) and spread all across the world. Kahlua is the most famous coffee liqueur.

And recently, India also started making coffee liqueur as it already produces some great coffee and places like Goa produce some great alcohol. Quaffine, the bottle above, is India's first cold brew coffee liqueur from Goa. Bandarful is another liqueur from Uttarakhand.

Can you make this at home?

Absolutely. Just know that it takes time, but it's worth the wait.

Here's an easy homemade coffee liqueur recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strong brewed coffee (espresso or cold brew concentration)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 cups vodka / white rum

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Process:

1. Brew strong coffee and dissolve sugar while hot

2. Cool completely

3. Add alcohol and vanilla extract

4. Store in a sealed bottle

5. Refrigerate and let flavors meld for 1-2 weeks

After you have it ready, just enjoy with ice or mix it up by following one of the recipes listed on Quaffine's site.

I hope this makes you warm and cozy in this chilly weather.

That’s all I have. Have a caffeinated weekend.

See you next year. 😉

Keep on brewing!