Kahlúa-Spiked Frozen Mocha Lattes

Beverages, Brunch / Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

If you’ve never enjoyed a tender Tennessee summer, you should know that at a certain point, everything stops and it gets quiet. Cookouts stop. Mowing stops. The kids stop playing outside. Even the crazy-hardcore woman who does reverse lunges in long, jerky, backwards steps past the house twice a day suddenly disappears. The only sounds you hear outside are the crickets, the rustling of the dry grass and “Pop Goes the Weasel” blaring from the ice cream truck as it circles the neighborhood, completely uninterrupted.

Because it’s just too hot.

Unmercifully hot.

Wringing-the-sweat-out-of-your-bra hot.

When it’s this hot, you just have to give in to it. Relent. Stay inside, get naked and catch up on “Shark Week.” And hook up some ice-cold adult beverages.

This Kahlúa-Spiked Frozen Mocha Latte requires a little preparation.

First, you make espresso ice cubes by combining sugar, instant espresso powder, cocoa powder, water, salt and half-and-half and pouring the mixture into ice cube trays.

Then, once your cubes are frozen, you can toss a few into the blender with a little (or a lot) of Kahlúa, and blend everything until it’s smooth and thick, like a milkshake.

Pour the mixture into a chilled glass (or two), top it with a spoonful of brown-sugar sweetened whipped cream, and commence the sippin’.

This is how summer was meant to be survived.

Kahlúa-Spiked Frozen Mocha Lattes

Adapted from “Bon Appetit”(August 2010)

The recipe makes 6 lattes, so if you don’t feel like sharing, make the espresso ice cubes and keep them in a freezer bag for special emergencies.

Makes 6 lattes

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 5 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
  • 4 teaspoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 pinches of salt
  • 2 1/2 cups water, divided
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 3/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur
  • 3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (scant) vanilla extract
  1. Whisk first 3 ingredients and pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in 1 cup water until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to boil, whisking often, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
  2. Add 1 1/2 cups water and half and half; whisk to blend. Transfer to pitcher. Pour espresso mixture into ice cube trays, filling cubes almost to top (mixture will make about 45 ice cubes). Freeze espresso mixture in trays. 
  3. For the Whipped Cream Topping: Using an electric mixer, beat cream, brown sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt in medium bowl until peaks form. Cover; chill.
  4. Place 6 glass coffee mugs or other glasses in freezer 15 minutes. Working in 3 batches, place 14 espresso ice cubes and 1/4 cup Kahlúa in a blender or food processor. Blend until thick and smooth, about 30 seconds. Divide between 2 chilled mugs; place in freezer. Repeat 2 more times with espresso ice cubes, Kahlúa, and chilled mugs.
  5. Top frozen mocha lattes with sweetened whipped cream, and serve.

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26 thoughts on “Kahlúa-Spiked Frozen Mocha Lattes”

    1. Seriously, you need these frozen mocha lattes in your life. Just having the espresso ice cubes at the ready makes everything seem a little better.

    1. Yessss, you need to make the frozen mocha lattes! Once you've got the espresso ice cubes, it's a cinch. I have some in a freezer bag. It's my emergency stash.

  5. oh, my, that description sounds like south georgia! i promise i gain weight during the summer not during christmas – and i do, cuz i stop moving as much:) and now you give us this wonderful sounding glass of wonder! yum!

    1. I KNOW! Everyone here gains weight in the summer, because you just want to be still, stay in the a/c and eat homemade ice cream! I've tried to switch to iced coffee. Just let me pretend it's healthier. ;)

  7. HOMAGOD. This is a genius summer concoction. Not sure I’d have the discipline to make the whole thing. More likely to just suck on kahlua-spiked espresso icecubes, he he he.

    1. Nothing wrong with sucking on those ice cubes. You could always use them for iced coffee, because they won't water down the good stuff. Yessssss.

    1. The August BA is so packed with great stuff that I MISSED this recipe the first few times I flipped through it. They're on fire over there.

    1. I would totally hook you up with your very own frozen mocha latte, but seriously, they're super-easy to make. Once you've made the ice cubes, you've got it.

  11. do you think i could just put espresso in the icecubes? or is it necessary to buy espresso powder- this is what i'll be making with my leftover kahlua! :) thanks for this! it looks amazing!

    1. Thanks! You need the powder for the coffee flavor to be really intense, but if you can't find espresso powder, you could go with an instant coffee (preferably dark roasted).

  13. Oh, my…this is the first time I've had the urge to lick my computer screen but that photo just screams…..lick the whip cream!

    Happy Friday!
    ~ingrid

    1. Oh, the frozen mocha latte is so good. Without the whipped cream, it would have looked like a big glass of mud. Had to have the whipped cream. ;)

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