Recipe: Coffee Liqueur

Perk up your favorite cocktail with a little homemade coffee liqueur! Our favorite is a recipe from A.J. Rathbun (author of Luscious Liqueurs):

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup instant espresso powder
• 2 & 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup whole coffee beans of your choice
• 3 cups brandy
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Combine instant espresso powder, sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat; stir occasionally until mixture is almost at a boil.
2. Lower heat & keep it at a low simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and let syrup cool completely in the pan.
4. Put syrup, coffee beans and brandy in a glass container with a tight lid, stir well.
5. Seal and place the container in a cool, dry spot away from sunlight.
6. Let mixture sit for 2 weeks -- swirling it occasionally.
7. After 2 weeks, add vanilla, stir again and reseal. Let it sit again for 2 more weeks in a cool, dry spot away from sunlight.
8. Carefully strain liqueur through a double layer of cheesecloth into a pitcher.
9. Strain again through two new layers of cheesecloth into one large bottle or a number of smaller bottles -- your preference.