Kahlua to Get Even More Christmassy This Winter

Christmas is Kahlua's season, traditionally. It's when folks go out and buy a bottle of the Mexican coffee liqueur—one which usually lasts them until the next Christmas.

But this yuletide will be a particularly merry one for Kahlua, which will roll out another line extension, Peppermint Mocha Kahlua, to welcome the holiday. It will be the same proof as usual, with the flavor augmented by the traditional Christmas flavors of peppermint (as in candy canes) and chocolate (as in all those things made of chocolate you eat over the holidays). It will be a limited-edition product.

I've been trying to upload a picture of the bottle for days now, but without success. So just picture the usual Kahlua bottle, but done up in colors of silver and red (including a red cap), with green accents, and no images of exotic architecture. Looks like you could hang it on a Christmas tree. 

How Many White Russian Variations Does One Need?

To commemorate the 55th anniversary of the White Russian first appearing in print (who knew?), Kahlua has hustled up four modern spins on The Dude's favorite cocktail.

Now, I'm pretty much OK with there just being one White Russian out there, but I admit to becoming curious when I saw one of the recipes came from Greg Seider of Summit Bar, whose work I like. But, to be fair, I'm printing all four here. Be prepared: there are a ton of eggs involved, and instructions are lengthy and difficult on three of these. (Double boiler? Really?) In fact, two of the recipes actually seem to be desserts, not drinks. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The same could be argued about the White Russian itself.

Moscow in Mexico
Created by Mixologist Gregory Seider of Summit

1 part Kahlúa
1 part Absolut Vodka
1 shot of espresso
1 half part walnut liquor

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into metal cocktail shaker and add ice. Hard-shake for 10 seconds and double strain through tea strainer into martini glass. Using aerolatte milk frother, froth cold milk and spoon on top of cocktail. Top with cardamom powder.

Lost Cocktail of Summer?

Some colleagues and I were recently confronted with a list of Kahlua-based cocktails and asked to choose one. The usual suspects were there: White Russian, Black Russian, etc. Then there was the Kahlua Sour. The coffee liqueur paired with lemon juice and simple syrup. We all looked at each other in disbelief. Ew. What could be worse? We had to order it!


Our morbid curiosity was rewarded. It wasn't  horrible. It was great. The best Kahlua cocktail I've had. We all agreed—it was delicious and we wanted another. The Kahlua Sour seems to be one of those counter-intuitive cocktails that—like the Blood and Sand—looks horrible on paper, but tastes great in the glass. You wouldn't think of squeezing some lemon in your morning coffee, would you? But the lemon cuts through both the thickness and sweetness of the coffee liqueur in a wonderful way, slimming it down, sparking it and lightening it up. Though Kahlua might seem the last thing you think of when you think light, summer drinking, I suggest you give it a try.

Kahlua Sour

1 1/2 oz. Kahlua

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 simple syrup

Combine ingredients over ice. Shake. Strain into rocks glass.