iced espresso with Kahlua ice cubes

I know all you coffee enthusiasts must be really excited right now. Nothing better than coffee on coffee! I came up with this recipe because seriously, I've had this bottle of Kahlua sitting in my refrigerator for a month now with only 3 tablespoons left and I've been meaning to make use of it.

I don't own a coffee machine. So I just mix in the ground espresso with some cold water, let that sit overnight and then strain to get rid of the grounds (If you're in a hurry, you could just add hot boiling water, let the mixture sit for a while and then strain the grounds).

This recipe is for the coffee lover. I'm going to be honest, I'm not a HUGE fan of coffee, I really like it but I'm not crazy over it. But as you all know, it's really hot in my part of town and this was the perfect drink to cool the heat off. Cold and refreshing. You know how sometimes you order an iced coffee at a restaurant or a cafe or anywhere and the first three sips are flippin delicious but then you get to the bottom of the glass and it's all just a watery mess. Yeah.... not good. You don't get that with this. You pretty much taste coffee in the first three sips and then more coffee towards the end.

If coffee on coffee is too much action for you. Add these ice cubes in a cold glass of milk. You'll get that subtle coffee flavor. I've tried it and yes it's really good. Ultimately, if you don't have Kahlua, you could skip it and just make coffee ice-cubes instead.

Hope you enjoy this!

iced espresso with Kahlua ice cubes

for ice-cubes:
2 tbsp Kahlua
2 tbsp whole evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup boiling water

for iced-espresso:
3 tablespoons ground espresso
2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
2 tbsp (or more) sweetened condensed milk, per serving

Directions:
For the ice-cubes, mix Kahlua, evaporated milk, coffee and sugar in a measuring cup. Add boiling water and stir until incorporated.  Pour mixture into an ice-cube tray and freeze until firm about 4 hours.

For the iced espresso, mix espresso and water and let the mixture sit overnight at room temperature. The next day, strain using a fine mesh strainer or a coffee cloth, onto another container. Discard the grounds.

Mix milk and evaporated milk together. Fill glass 1/2 full with espresso liquid. Add milk mixture. Stir until incorporated. Add 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk at a time. Taste and adjust sweetness according to your liking. Serve with 3 to 4 espresso-kahlua ice cubes, unless you really love your coffee.

If you're serving the ice cubes with a plain glass of milk, you could bump it up to 5 to 6 ice cubes and add in a couple tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. FYI, this iced espresso is also really delicious without the ice cubes. Thought you should know.