The Revolver Cocktail Recipe

The Revolver is essentially the reverse of spiking your coffee with bourbon.  Instead you are spiking your bourbon with coffee liqueur!  I think that's a way better idea.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Bourbon
• 1/2 ounce Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua, Tia Maria, or homemade)
• 2 dashes Orange Bitters

Instructions:

1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker.
2. Fill shaker with ice and shake well.
3. Strain into a martini glass.

Homemade Kahlua Coffee Liqueur

Here's a great recipe for a coffee liqueur that is similar to Kahlua, but not as sweet.  It's easy to make and doesn't involve an aging period.  I made it the other day, and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Vodka
• 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1/2 cup Instant Coffee
• 2 tbls. Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups Water

Instructions:

1. Combine white sugar, brown sugar, and water in a pot.
2. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Lower heat to a simmer.
4. Add instant coffee and whisk with a wire whisk until dissolved.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Add vodka and vanilla extract and stir.
7. Pour into bottles and it's ready to drink!

Notes:
Make sure you use pure vanilla and not imitation vanilla.  I used instant coffee powder from Trader Joes.  This recipe makes approximately two 750ml bottles.

The Ultimate Chocolatini

I spent some time experimenting with chocolatini recipes.  My goal was to have a great tasting chocolatini that didn't break the bank.  So, I needed a recipe that didn't rely too much on the super expensive Godiva liqueurs.  I came up with this recipe, which everyone I served it to has loved:

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Chocolate Liqueur (Trader Vic's or homemade)
• 1 oz Chocolate Cream Liqueur (Godiva or homemade)
• 1 oz Vanilla Vodka (Smirnoff or homemade)
• 1 oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua or homemade)

Instructions:

1. Shake with ice.
2. Serve in a martini glass.

Notes:
I like to garnish the glass with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
This recipe is really excellent if you use all homemade ingredients.