Kahlúa

{{ infobox beverage | name = Kahlúa | image = | type = Liqueur | abv = 20.0% | proof = | manufacturer = Pernod Ricard | distributor = | origin = Mexico | introduced = 1936 | discontinued = | colour = | flavour = | variants = | related = | website = www.kahlua.com }} Kahlúa is a Mexican coffee-flavored liqueur. It is dense and sweet, with the distinct taste of coffee, from which it is made. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean.

History

Allied Domecq, which was created in 1994 as the result of a merger between Allied Lyons and Pedro Domecq, had produced Kahlúa since 1936 until the company was partially acquired in 2005 by Pernod Ricard, now the largest spirits distributor in the world since the merger with the Swedish "Vin & Sprit" in March 2008.

Varieties

Kahlúa

Kahlúa Mocha

Kahlúa French Vanilla

Kahlúa Hazelnut

Kahlúa Especial

Kahlúa White Russian

Kahlúa Mudslide

Kahlúa Spiced Eggnog (limited availability)

Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha (limited holiday edition)

Kahlúa Coffee Cream (limited edition)

, Japan]] Since 2004, the alcohol content of Kahlúa is 20.0%; (21.5% alc., is still available only in Ohio). earlier versions had 26.5%. In 2002, a more expensive, high-end product called "Kahlúa Especial" became available in the United States, Canada and Australia after previously being offered only in duty-free markets. Made with premium Arabica coffee beans grown in Veracruz, Mexico, Kahlúa Especial has an alcohol content of 36% and has a lower viscosity and is less sweet than the regular version.

Name

As the original producer Domecq tried to preserve a Veracruzan identity to its product, the name Kahlúa was chosen as a feature of its originality. Kahlúa means "House of the Acolhua people" in the Veracruz Nahuatl language spoken before the Spanish Conquest; then it was Hispanicized as Ulúa, forming the name of modern San Juan de Ulúa fortress.

Uses

Kahlúa is used to make cocktails and as a topping or ingredient in several desserts, including ice cream, cakes, and cheesecakes.

Kahlúa can be used in a few notable cocktails, including the following:

B-52

Baby Guinness

Black Russian

Mudslide

White Russian

It can also be enjoyed in cold cream, in milk, or mixed with hot coffee or cocoa.

Awards

Kahlúa and Kahlúa Especial have received modest accolades from international spirit ratings organizations. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, for example, awarded the Kahlúa Especial three silver medals between 2005 and 2007 and a bronze in 2009. The Beverage Testing Institute, meanwhile, gave the Especial a score of 85 in 2007.

See also

List of cocktails

List of coffee liqueurs

Milk and Alcohol

References

External links

Kahlúa Official Website

On Kahlúa and Caffeine

Category:Coffee liqueurs Category:Mexican alcoholic beverages Category:Mexican liquor