Kahlúa
Encyclopedia
Kahlúa is a Mexican
coffee
-flavored rum-based 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.
people" in the Veracruz
Nahuatl
language spoken before the Spanish Conquest. Such a name choice was presumably chosen to provide a Veracruzan identity to the product and feature its originality. (Kahlúa was Hispanicized
as Ulúa, forming the name of modern San Juan de Ulúa
fortress.)
The company merged in 1994 with Allied Lyons to become Allied Domecq
. In turn, that company was partially acquired in 2005 by Pernod Ricard
, now the largest spirits distributor in the world since its merger with the Swedish Vin & Sprit in March 2008.
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.
s, including ice cream
, cake
s, and cheesecake
s.
Kahlúa can be used in a few notable cocktails, including the following:
It can also be enjoyed in cold cream, in milk, or mixed with hot coffee or cocoa. A licensed line of chocolates, with Kahlúa-flavored centers, is sold in Mexico, as well as small chocolate shot glass
-style "cups" in which the liqueur may be served.
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.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
-flavored rum-based liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
. It is dense and sweet, with the distinct taste of coffee, from which it is made. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
bean.
History
Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936. It was named Kahlúa, meaning "House of the AcolhuaAcolhua
The Acolhua are a Mesoamerican people who arrived in the Valley of Mexico in or around the year 1200 CE. The Acolhua were a sister culture of the Aztecs as well as the Tepanec, Chalca, Xochimilca and others....
people" in the Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
language spoken before the Spanish Conquest. Such a name choice was presumably chosen to provide a Veracruzan identity to the product and feature its originality. (Kahlúa was Hispanicized
Hispanicization
Hispanicisation or Hispanisation refers to the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by Hispanic culture or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic...
as Ulúa, forming the name of modern San Juan de Ulúa
San Juan de Ulúa
San Juan de Ulúa, also known as Castle of San Juan de Ulúa is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico.-History:...
fortress.)
The company merged in 1994 with Allied Lyons to become Allied Domecq
Allied Domecq
Allied Domecq PLC was an international company, headquartered in Bristol, UK that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard.-History:...
. In turn, that company was partially acquired in 2005 by Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is a French company that produces distilled beverages. The company's eponymous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise-flavoured liqueurs and are often referred to simply as Pernod or Ricard...
, now the largest spirits distributor in the world since its 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 Chocolate Latte
- Kahlúa Spiced Eggnog (limited availability)
- Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha (limited holiday edition)
- Kahlúa Cinnamon Spice
- Kahlúa Coffee Cream (limited edition)
Since 2004, the alcohol content of Kahlúa is 20.0% (21.5% alc. is still available only in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
); earlier versions had 26.5%. In 2002, a more expensive, high-end product called "Kahlúa Especial" became available in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
after previously being offered only in duty-free markets. Made with premium Arabica coffee beans
Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...
grown in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Kahlúa Especial has an alcohol content of 36% and has a lower viscosity
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
and is less sweet than the regular version.
Uses
Kahlúa is used to make cocktails and as a topping or ingredient in several dessertDessert
In cultures around the world, dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve." Common Western desserts include cakes, biscuits,...
s, including ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
, cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
s, and cheesecake
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
s.
Kahlúa can be used in a few notable cocktails, including the following:
- B-52B-52 (cocktail)The B-52 is a layered shot composed of a coffee liqueur , an Irish Cream , and an orange cognac . When prepared properly, the ingredients separate into three distinctly visible layers...
- Baby GuinnessBaby GuinnessA Baby Guinness is a shooter, a style of cocktail, or mixed alcoholic beverage, intended to be consumed in one shot. A Baby Guinness contains no Guinness beer...
- Black RussianBlack RussianThe Black Russian is a cocktail of vodka and coffee liqueur and sometimes mixed with Cola. When topped with Cola, it is referred to as a Dirty Black Russian, as opposed to Clean when without it...
- Mudslide
- White RussianWhite Russian (cocktail)A White Russian is a sweet cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueurs , and cream served with ice in an Old Fashioned glass...
It can also be enjoyed in cold cream, in milk, or mixed with hot coffee or cocoa. A licensed line of chocolates, with Kahlúa-flavored centers, is sold in Mexico, as well as small chocolate shot glass
Shot glass
A shot glass is a small glass designed to hold or measure spirits or liquor, which is either drunk straight from the glass or poured into a mixed drink....
-style "cups" in which the liqueur may be served.
Awards
Kahlúa and Kahlúa Especial have received modest accolades from international spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
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 AlcoholMilk and Alcohol"Milk and Alcohol" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood that ranked on Britain's top-10 hit singles chart in 1979. Written by Nick Lowe and Gypie Mayo, and produced by Richard Gottehrer, the song was Dr...