🥃 Kahlúa

Kahlúa is a Mexican coffee liqueur made since 1936 from Arabica coffee, rum and sugar; the brand comes from the state of Veracruz. It now belongs to the French group Pernod Ricard. The strength of classic Kahlúa depends on the market: 16% ABV in the United Kingdom and Canada, 20% elsewhere.

Production of the liqueur began in 1936 at the company Pedro Domecq. In 1994 it merged with the British Allied Lyons to form Allied Domecq, and in 2005 Pernod Ricard acquired its assets together with Kahlúa. From 2004 the standard strength was 20% ABV, and in 2021 it was lowered to 16% for the United Kingdom and Canada. Bottles from different countries may therefore differ even though the name is the same.

According to the ingredient list on the Pernod Ricard page, Kahlúa Original contains sugar, water, coffee extract, rum and vanillin. The producer uses only Arabica coffee. Difford's Guide describes the process as follows: beans grown in Veracruz yield a coffee concentrate, which is mixed with vanilla extract and cane spirit, a little caramel is added for colour, and the blend is then adjusted with sugar and water to the right strength. The exact recipe is a trade secret, so the brand does not disclose the amount of sugar or the length of individual stages.

Besides Original, Pernod Ricard makes Kahlúa Blonde Roast Style (20% ABV) and a ready-to-drink canned Espresso Martini (4.5% ABV). The liqueur itself most often appears in coffee cocktails and desserts, where it is combined with espresso, milk or cream.

Why this matters to you. Kahlúa is a liqueur, not a coffee drink: it contains alcohol and quite a lot of sugar. There is no cream or milk in the bottle; they are added only in cocktails, so people who avoid dairy should look at the cocktail recipe. The strength differs between countries (16 or 20% ABV), and the canned Espresso Martini is a separate product, weaker than the liqueur. The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.