Instructions: Boil water & sugar together until dissolved & clear. Turn off heat. Slowly add instant coffee & continue stirring. When well mixed let cool to room temperature. While the coffee mixture cools, add vanilla bean to the vodka.

When the coffee mixture is cooled add to the vodka mixture. Cover tightly & shake vigorously each day for 3 weeks. Strain & filter.

Yield: About 4 cups

Dona & Mel have this to say about Kahlua:

The Mexican "Kahlua" & Jamaican "Tia Maria" are probably the best known coffee flavored liqueurs. Other companies produce similar drinks called Moka, Mocha, Creme de Mocha, & so forth. Coffee is among the easiest flavors to simulate. We recieved many recipes from our friends that varied only slightly from one another. It seemed that everyone had made a version of "Kahlua" at one time & treasured his own recipe.

VARIATION: Substitute rum for the vodka to yeild a simulated "Tia Maria".

Substitute brandy for the vodka for another simulated "Kahlua".

Chris Notes: I like to use the vodka version with a pinch of cardamom.

Experimenting with this recipe I have found that instead of throwing out a partial pot of coffee, save it in a tightly covered container in the fridge until you get 2 cups worth. Then use it in place of the water & delete the instant coffee. (Very FRUGAL considering the price of good coffee these days!)

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