Kahlúa Coffee-Liqueur

Kahlua has been made in Veracruz, Mexico since 1936, where local Arabica coffee is steeped with rum and sugar into a sweet, full bodied liqueur at 16%. It remains the reference point for the category, carrying genuine roasted depth rather than mere syrup, and is the name most back bars reach for first.

In a mix it brings sweetness, body and a real coffee roast, the reason it underpins the White Russian and the Black Russian. It is also one half of the modern Espresso Martini, the drink Dick Bradsell built in 1983 at the Soho Brasserie in London; the coffee liqueur gives that serve its sugar and depth while the espresso brings the bitterness. Pour it over ice, stir it into a stout, or spoon it over vanilla ice cream.