During the Christmas gift exhange we had at work, Paul mentioned about the “homemade Kahlua” that they have tried and turned out to be real good. He mentioned that over the years they have tried many recipes that are found online but none of them were as good as this. To top it off, this one didn’t require months of waiting, just like many of them do.

Didn’t even hesitate a minute to ask for its recipe. After recieving the directions the next morning, I could not resist the tempatation to make this very easy drink. After all I was going to use the instant coffee we have at home that nobody cares for! Gone to Trader Joe’s to get a good Russian Vodka. It took me about 20 mins to make the whole thing; including the wait time for the coffee to cool down. Result? If you have a hard time drinking vodka — which I would not blame you for it, and love the smell of coffee you should give this recipe a try. Nice after meal drink, or one that would accompany a rich dessert. I am sure you will find reasons to use it up!

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups of fine sugar
2. 2 cups of boiling water
3. 1 cup good instant coffee
4. 1 bottle (750ml) vodka
5. 3 Tbs vanilla extract

Recipe:

1. Mix sugar and coffee together and then stir in 2 cups of boiling water. Stir until it all dissolves and then let cool
2. Pour through cheese cloth into a large pitcher and add 750 ml of vodka (about 3 cups) and 3 T. good vanilla (Mexican)
3. Stir and then pour through cheesecloth again into bottles. (An extra bottle is needed as the resulting drink is more than enough for the vodka bottle)

Remember: age will improve the flavor so take it down slowly!

Check out kahlua’s website for some great recipe ideas and enjoy!

Boza is a fermented bulgur drink which is quite popular in Turkey. Even though it is mostly consumed in winter, I see no reason why it would not be enjoyed in summer days, either.

As many of you may know, living out of your own country has many disadvantages; not being able to find the food you take for granted is a number one for many of us. This drink is one of those. But not anymore: About 5 – 6 months ago I asked one of my friends if she knew how to make it. Sure enough she (Zeynep Töre) knew the recipe and was nice enough to share her grandma’s recipe with me.

I thought this drink was only known in Turkey. Well, I was wrong. A short internet searched revealed that many Balkan countries and some Middle Eastern countries also enjoy it and turns out they even serve it in breakfast in Bulgaria. This again brings up “Who owns the recipe?” or “Who made it first?” type of a question, but I am not even going to go there. Whoever first came up with it: thank you!

It was once prohibited in the Ottoman Empire time, since it contains 2%- 6 % alcohol. This percentage heavily depends on the length of the fermentation period, the sugar amount and the heat of the room it has been fermented.

From what I read, it can be made with corn, bulgur, millet … possibly any grain you can think about. So far I have made only with bulgur and mixture of bulgur & rice. Cannot taste the difference.

Maybe I should leave the history behind this drink to the famous Vefa Bozacısı of İstanbul. Here is a little quote from them explaining the drink itself in short:

Boza is a fermented bulgur refreshment with addition of water and sugar. It contains vitamin A and four types of vitamin B as well as vitamins C and E. During fermentation, Boza produces lactic acid. This type of acid which is rarely found in food products helps digestion and also recommended for its milk-producing property for pregnant women and for sportsman as a valuable source of vitamin. It is very effective in the cholera treatment.

Without further ado, let me present you with the boza recipe:

Ingredients:
For 5 – 6 cups

1. 1 cup bulgur ( ½ cup bulgur + ½ cup rice can be used as well)
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 8 – 9 cups of water
4. 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Preparation:

1. Put the grains and 8 cups of water in a big pot and slowly cook it. If you like, you can soak the grains in the water overnight to help this process. Do not put the lid on. Cook until it is easy to mash the grains



2. Strain it through a fine colander by pressing hard and collect the thick juice; this will be your boza. You can discard the pulp



3. Add the sugar to the thick juice and stir well. It should be thinner than tomato paste, but not as juicy as tomato juice. If the blend is so thick, you can add more water to it. Put back on to low heat, and boil for about 3 – 4 mins. Pour into a glass bowl and let it cool down to about 120F



4. In another bowl, mix the yeast with warm water, and pour it into the big bowl. Make sure to mix well. Cover it with double layer cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and leave it in the room temperature until the bubbles appear. This can take up to 2 days, depending on how hot the room is



5. Serve it chilled. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and serve with dry roasted chickpeas (another Turkish/Middle Eastern snack), if you can have any. You may also need a spoon to get to the boza that is at the bottom of your glass/cup

Enjoy!