Keto Kahlua: sugar-free, dairy-free

The vanilla latte martini and the Keto Christmas cake. Showcased by my little sister who has set candles on top of a Christmas chocolate log!

I wanted to make a sugar-free coffee liqueur. My plan was to have it on Christmas Eve with the Christmas cake I had made previously and frozen. (see recipe section). We ended up having it at the end of our Christmas dinner which we ate in the evening. The vanilla latte martini made from kahlua mixed with vanilla vodka and plant-based double cream with the cake and a range of keto chocolate truffles provided the perfect ending to the meal.

The liqueur gives a kick of coffee followed by a creamy flavour. Note the small cocktail glasses used. My mother went rooting through my grandmother’s sideboard and found my great-grandmother’s glasses. I would advise caution with any cocktails as these have a creaminess that can be comforting but the alcohol content creeps up on you! Having said that, I will be having a couple tonight at New Year to see 2020 out and steel myself for 2021.

I used Absolut Vanilla Vodka for making the vanilla latte martini as its the best one for keto. This is the recipe I used for the Kahlua. There is also a recipe for Mexican coffee.

The nutritional value for a one ounce serving of the sugar-free coffee liqueur is 42kcals and 1.6g carbs.

The Christmas cake was moist, nutty and full of Christmas spices. I will certainly. be making it. again. It froze well.

Ingredients for the (Kahlua) Coffee Liqueur

2 cups water
3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener (Erythritol)
1/8 tsp monk fruit extract or another 1/2 cup Swerve (I used Swerve)
1/4 cup ground coffee I used decaf (I don’t like the bitterness of ground coffee, I used a 1/4 cup of good quality instant coffee)
1 1/2 cups vodka ( I used Smirnoff Vodka)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used this vanilla powder)

Method: for the Kahlua/Coffee Liqueur

I blended the erythritol and the vanilla powder together to make it finer and distribute the vanilla throughout.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, erythritol, the monk fruit extract (if you are using it) and the coffee.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Transfer mixture to a glass jar and add vodka, cocoa powder (I whisked the cocoa powder in to the mix as it was cooling) and vanilla extract (I mixed the vanilla. powder in with the erythritol) .

Seal the jar or bottle and place it in a dark, cool spot and wait at least 3 weeks, shaking the jar (bottle) every few days.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Then strain again through a coffee filter (this will take several day and changes of coffee filter, but it’s worth it to get all the coffee “silt” out of the mixture.

Note: As I used a good quality instant coffee, I didn’t have to do this step. I like to keep things simple and the flavour is excellent.

Vanilla Latte Martini