Homemade Kahlua
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup Instant Coffee (Dark Mountain Grown is better)
1 quart (4 cups) vodka (I use a 750ml bottle)
1 Mexican vanilla bean
Combine Water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes.
Add coffee and boil 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat and add vanilla bean.
Let it cool to room temperature.
Add Vodka. Pour into a jug.
Let it set for 2-3 weeks in a dark place.
The longer it sits the more potent it becomes.
I have used this same recipe for the past 29 years. The key to making it taste great is using the freshest instant coffee you can find and the vanilla bean.
I have found that Mexican Vanilla Beans have a much better flavor than the others out there and I do not split the bean. Let the vanilla bean sit in the jug whole.