Coffee Liqueur

part of: Coffee

Coffee liqueur is a rich, syrupy alcoholic drink that combines the deep bitterness of coffee with sugar and a spirit base, typically rum or neutral grain spirit. Well-known brands like Kahlúa and Tia Maria have made it a staple of bar shelves worldwide.

It’s most commonly used as a cocktail ingredient — the Espresso Martini, White Russian, and Black Russian all depend on it — but it also works as a dessert accompaniment, poured over ice cream or folded into tiramisu. It can be sipped neat or on ice as an after-dinner drink.

At around 63 proof (roughly 31% ABV), coffee liqueur sits in the mid-range for liqueurs — sweeter and lower in alcohol than straight spirits, but with enough backbone to hold its own in mixed drinks.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Coffee beans are roasted and then either steeped or brewed to produce a concentrated coffee extract. This extract is blended with a base spirit — commonly rum, vodka, or neutral grain alcohol — along with sugar syrup and sometimes vanilla or other flavourings. The mixture is left to marry and mellow, then filtered and bottled. Some producers use cold-brew methods for a smoother coffee character, while others rely on hot extraction for a more intense flavour.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 308kcal
Protein 0.1g
Carbs 32.2g
Fat 0.3g
Fibre 0g Sugar 32.2g
Mass Distribution

1 fl oz is about 34.8 g — roughly 110 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.5kg
Freshwater ≈130L
Land ≈0.4m²

≈ Estimated from its category — typical for vegetables, not measured for this item yet. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from
Coffee, seeds

In the kitchen

Used as

coffee cocktail and dessert liqueur

Goes well with
vodka cream espresso chocolate vanilla
Classic dishes
  • White Russian
  • Espresso Martini
  • Tiramisu
  • Black Russian

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromCoffee, seeds goes well withespresso goes well withvanilla shares a sourceBrewed Coffee shares a sourceCoffee Beans shares a sourceCoffee Specialty Drinks shares a sourceEspresso shares a sourceInstant Coffee
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