Hi, Friends of Cocktails! When I was a kid you really knew it was Christmas time when you saw that famous Coca-Cola truck commercial, but this is Cocktail Time. So today we’ll recreate that feeling with a grown-up version… we’re making a homemade Cola Liqueur!
It’s going to hit all of those classic tasting notes you love in your favorite cola, and there will be plenty of ways for you to enjoy it–a shot, a highball, or added to your favorite stirred or shaken cocktail. Together with the recipe you’ll also be able to label this special Cocktail Time liqueur with custom labels that you can get as a supporter on Patreon or by buying them directly here.
Now onto the liqueur. I love how a mix of a number of herbs, spices, nuts, and citrus peels combines to make the flavor we all know as cola. And it’s always fun when you can put your own twist on something well known, so use this recipe as a template and adjust it as you like. Plus this can make a great gift or something to bring to a party.
First let’s check out the tools and ingredients you’ll need. Starting with a digital thermometer, a precision digital scale, a mortar and pestle, a vacuum sealer, a sous vide cooker, and a cloth or coffee filter. As for the ingredients I’ll be using vodka, water, granulated sugar, demerara sugar, caramel sugar, grated lemon, lime, and orange zest, Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, coriander, rosehip, makrut lime leaf, a coffee bean, kola nut, and optionally caramel coloring.
So once you’ve gathered your ingredients, remembering to get citrus with food-grade peels, we’re ready to start. It’s Cocktail Time!
Kevin Kola Liqueur
● 0.8g Organic Lemon Peels
● 0.8g Organic Lime Peels
● 2.3g Organic Orange Peels
● 315mL · 10.5oz 40% ABV Vodka
● 125mL · ~4oz Water
● 81g White Sugar
● 34g Demerara Sugar
● 23g Caramel Sugar
● 1g Ceylon Cinnamon
● 1g Nutmeg
● 0.8g Vanilla Bean
● 1g Coriander
● 5.8g Rosehip
● 0.4g Makrut Lime Leaf
● 1.1g Kola Nut
● 1 Coffee Bean
● 2.3g Caramel Coloring (optional)
I’ll start by grating citrus peels before adding to a sous vide bag alongside the vodka, water, and blend of sugars. In case you need a refresher of how to make caramel sugar, you can just combine 120g of sugar and 30mL or 1oz of water in a pan. This thick syrup will make sure the sugar melts and caramelizes evenly.
So heat the sugar syrup until it gets to 180°C or 355°F, then it’s time to carefully pour it on a baking sheet. Leave to cool and don’t touch it before it does - hot sugar will burn your skin. Once it’s cold, break it apart, and voilà, you now have caramel sugar. We’re now ready to move onto the next step: crushing the spices.
So into a mortar and pestle add the ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla split lengthwise, coriander, rosehip, makrut leaf, coffee bean, and kola nut–that’s right, no coca leaves in this recipe. Now pound and grind these together, to really open up the flavors before we add them to the bag. The last addition is optional, as it doesn’t provide any taste, is caramel coloring.
I got my coloring from a Slovenian soda-making company, but you can also make your own by following the instructions from this video. Once everything is added to the sous vide bag it’s time to seal it up - as always, go with a double seal to make sure nothing gets in or out. That, and the added heat, will make sure that for the next 2 hours our liqueur will pick up on all of the wonderful flavors we added in there.
Set the sous vide bath to 68°C or 155°F. It’s always a good idea to give the bag a little shake once or twice during the two hours, then leave it to cool completely before you cut open the bag and filter out all of the solids. Once it filters through it’s time to bottle our DIY Cola Liqueur, and to make it look a little extra special, add the Cocktail Time Cola Liqueur label.
You can find it on our Patreon page, but once that’s done, how does it taste? The color, smell and taste all hit the right cola notes. Its rich profile and the wonderful balance of spiciness, bitterness and sweetness can really make it a versatile tool in your mixology arsenal. It might even work in an eggnog recipe. Try it out if you’re still in the festive season when you’re watching this.
With that said, I’m sure anyone would enjoy this year-round. I’ve never seen or tasted anything like this before I started working on it, and I’m super happy with the result. If you’d like a shortcut to make your own cola liqueur you can do so with the help of our friends from Liber&Co.
Their Sugarcane Kola syrup is well balanced with the African kola nut, vanilla, chinotto orange, and roasted coffee, perfect for cocktails like the Colorado Bulldog–a delicious mix of vodka, coffee liqueur, Kola Syrup, half-and-half, and soda water! If you’re making the cola liqueur you can make your life a little easier too by grabbing the syrup and adding vodka for Kola Liqueur.
With the liqueur done, whether DIY or using Liber & Co., it’s time to make a simple cocktail I’m calling the Kola Highball!
Kola Highball
● 140g Soda Water
● 60mL · 2oz Kevin Kola Liqueur
● 7.5mL · 0.25oz Lime Juice
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
● Lime Wedge Garnish
This will of course be built in a chilled highball glass, starting with a tempered clear ice spear. I’ll place it on the scale so I can be precise with my pour of soda water, and then I’ll add the Kola Liqueur, lime juice and saline solution.
Give the cocktail a gentle turn and a lift with a barspoon to mix it all in and garnish with a wedge of lemon or lime, depending on the juice you added. It’s a simple build but the flavor is where it’s at with this one. You wouldn’t expect so much nuance from what is basically a vodka Cola, and if you want more freshness squeeze in the citrus wedge.
All in all, it’s an easy sipper and a great starting point for more cocktails with this liqueur in a future episode. With that we’ve reached the Bottom of the Glass. This time I have a book recommendation that also makes a great gift.
With the highly secret blend of herbs and spices that make up the Coca-cola recipe it’s always great to read-up on the botanicals that are used to make some of your favorite alcoholic drinks. Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist explains where these plants come from and how they contribute to the flavors of our favorite beverages. Until next time, cheers Friends of Cocktails!