While looking for a homemade gift for my guests on Thanksgiving, I came across a recipe for coffee liqueur.

Last Christmas I gave everyone homemade limoncello and frequently have a batch of that brewing somewhere in the house, but this recipe piqued my interest. Who doesn’t love a good White Russian on a semi-cold Florida “winter” day? Furthermore, throw it over a bowl of ice cream or add it to coffee after dinner and you’ve got a fun – and infinitely more interesting – way to end the meal.

But the best part about this recipe is how easy it is – especially compared to limoncello which requires the zesting away the better part of your afternoon.

I used Drake Vodka, an American vodka that associates at Total Wine recommended for my limoncello experiment, describing it as being clean and pure (and a great price), a good base for something else.

The coffee liqueur does take about three weeks to develop and I’m sure more time in the bottle will only improve it.

As for bottling: look for cute, unique bottles at thrift stores, online or at craft stores such as Michael’s, where I found the one I filled with sweet coffee goodness.

And if you prefer, you can use vanilla extract in place of the vanilla beans. (According to Nielsen-Massey, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract is equivalent to one vanilla bean, although there’s some discrepancy about this online.)

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COFFEE LIQUEUR

It’s best to start preparing this liqueur at least three weeks before serving or gifting. The recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit’s March 2010 issue.

Makes 4 cups

2 cups water

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup instant coffee granules

2 cups vodka

1 or 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

Bring 2 cups water to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Add sugar and coffee. Reduce heat to very low. Stir just until sugar and coffee dissolve. Remove from heat. Let stand until cool, about 1 hour.

Mix vodka into coffee syrup.Pour into large jar.

Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean halves. Add bean halves to jar. Stir to blend. Cover; let stand at room temperature at least 3 weeks and up to 6 weeks. Discard vanilla bean halves before serving.