 | |
| Type | Coffee liqueur |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Pernod Ricard |
| Origin | Mexico |
| Introduced | 1936; 90 years ago (1936) |
| Alcohol by volume | 20.0% |
| Website | www.kahlua.com |
Kahlúa (Spanish:[kaˈlu.a]) is a brand ofcoffee liqueur owned by thePernod Ricard company and produced inVeracruz, Mexico. The drink containsrum,sugar, andarabica coffee.
Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936.[1] It was named Kahlúa, meaning 'House of theAcolhua people' in theVeracruzNahuatl language.Jules Berman was the first importer of the liqueur to the United States, earning him the nickname "Mr. Kahlua".[2]
The company merged in 1994 withAllied Lyons to becomeAllied Domecq. In turn, that company was partially acquired in 2005 byPernod Ricard,[1] the largest spirits distributor in the world since its merger with the SwedishVin & Sprit in March 2008.
Since 2004, thealcohol content of Kahlúa is 20.0%; earlier versions had 26.5%.[3] 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 induty-free markets. Made with arabica coffee beans grown inVeracruz, Mexico,[4] Kahlúa Especial has an alcohol content of 36%, has a lowerviscosity, and is less sweet than the regular version.
In 2021, Kahlúa introduced a new bottle design for the United Kingdom and Canada markets. It also reduced the alcohol content to 16% "to address 'evolving' consumer trends towards conscious drinking and lower-alcohol options".[5][6][7] For the United States market, Kahlúa retains the more traditional bottle design and alcohol content.[8]
Kahlúa is used to makecocktails or drink neat or on ice. Some people use it when bakingdesserts, and/or as a topping forice cream,cakes, andcheesecakes.
It is mixed in several ways, often with different combinations of milk, cream, coffee and cocoa.
Because Kahlúa is made from coffee beans, it containscaffeine. According to the company, "Kahlúa contains about 100 ppm caffeine, which means about 100 mg/litre of product. So, for a standard 1.5 oz [45 ml] drink of Kahlúa there would be about 5 mg of caffeine. Just to put it in perspective, an 8 oz [240 ml] brewed coffee can contain up to about 200 mg of caffeine."[7]
Kahlúa is a key ingredient in several notable cocktails:
Kahlúa and Kahlúa Especial have received accolades from internationalspirit ratings organizations. TheSan Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded the Kahlúa Especial three silver medals between 2005 and 2007 and a bronze in 2009.[12] TheBeverage Testing Institute gave the Especial a score of 85 in 2007.[12]
Media related toKahlúa at Wikimedia Commons
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