Coffee liqueur from Mexico, this is the original expression from Kahlúa, a dark, sweet spirit built around the flavor of roasted coffee. It sits in the liqueur category, meaning it leans sweeter and lower in intensity than a straight spirit, with coffee as the defining note rather than any base grain or agave character.
Expect rich, roasted coffee flavor with an obvious sweetness and a syrupy weight on the palate. It is a workhorse behind the bar, the coffee component in an Espresso Martini or a White Russian, and it pours easily over ice or into a splash of milk. It also finds a home in the kitchen, drizzled over ice cream or folded into desserts where a coffee note is welcome.