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Step 3Make some (special) vanilla syrup
The syrup base is another place that I've learned to depart from many of the other recipes I explored in my quest for coffee liqueur. There are a lot of ideas about slowly cooking your syrup down to thicken it, and slightly caramelizing it for a darker color, but I think both of these things are wrong.
For one thing, with my recipe you get a dark brown color mostly due to the fact that you're using coffee instead of coffee extract. For another, I think cooking down your syrup until it thickens is a bad idea. I've never been too concerned about how thick my liqueur is, and the only time I'll really notice is when a liqueur has gotten too thick and gums up the back of your throat or is way too sweet.
So anyway, here's how it's done. Grab your big pot and a cup, any cup will do as we're not being super precise at this point. Don't worry about making too much either. You can just bottle up whatever you have left and throw it in the fridge to use for your next batch or for whatever other cooking projects come your way.
Start adding sugar to the pot, one cup of white to one cup of dark brown. Keep track of how much you use, that will be important later. Using brown sugar is a little more expensive, but it does make your liqueur darker and also gives it some nice molasses flavors. Once you feel like you've got enough (go through at least a bag and a half of the brown sugar), add water. The ratio is one part white to one part brown to one part water (1:1:1).
Put it on the stove over medium heat and start stirring. Stir frequently while it's cooking. You need to get it hot without boiling it, and this can take a while. Now's a good time to get started on step four (making chocolate syrup). Get that going and come back here.
Once it looks like most of the sugar has dissolved, pour in some vanilla extract. I use a mix of the cheap stuff and real stuff, but if you're a purist feel free to blow your money on a big bottle of pure vanilla extract. I find that if you mix them the end result is pretty much the same.
There's not a set amount of extract you'll need, just flavor it and taste until you think it seems good to you. I like mine to be strongly vanilla, so I end up using quite a bit of extract.
The syrup is done when it starts getting really cloudy on top and really hot, but before it boils. If it does boil don't worry, it isn't ruined or anything. Remove it from the heat and put it somewhere the ants can't find it (stupid sugar ants!). I will usually make up an ice or cold water bath in the sink, place the pot in there and stir until it gets to a less scalding temperature.
For one thing, with my recipe you get a dark brown color mostly due to the fact that you're using coffee instead of coffee extract. For another, I think cooking down your syrup until it thickens is a bad idea. I've never been too concerned about how thick my liqueur is, and the only time I'll really notice is when a liqueur has gotten too thick and gums up the back of your throat or is way too sweet.
So anyway, here's how it's done. Grab your big pot and a cup, any cup will do as we're not being super precise at this point. Don't worry about making too much either. You can just bottle up whatever you have left and throw it in the fridge to use for your next batch or for whatever other cooking projects come your way.
Start adding sugar to the pot, one cup of white to one cup of dark brown. Keep track of how much you use, that will be important later. Using brown sugar is a little more expensive, but it does make your liqueur darker and also gives it some nice molasses flavors. Once you feel like you've got enough (go through at least a bag and a half of the brown sugar), add water. The ratio is one part white to one part brown to one part water (1:1:1).
Put it on the stove over medium heat and start stirring. Stir frequently while it's cooking. You need to get it hot without boiling it, and this can take a while. Now's a good time to get started on step four (making chocolate syrup). Get that going and come back here.
Once it looks like most of the sugar has dissolved, pour in some vanilla extract. I use a mix of the cheap stuff and real stuff, but if you're a purist feel free to blow your money on a big bottle of pure vanilla extract. I find that if you mix them the end result is pretty much the same.
There's not a set amount of extract you'll need, just flavor it and taste until you think it seems good to you. I like mine to be strongly vanilla, so I end up using quite a bit of extract.
The syrup is done when it starts getting really cloudy on top and really hot, but before it boils. If it does boil don't worry, it isn't ruined or anything. Remove it from the heat and put it somewhere the ants can't find it (stupid sugar ants!). I will usually make up an ice or cold water bath in the sink, place the pot in there and stir until it gets to a less scalding temperature.
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