National Kahlúa Day Date in the current year: February 27, 2024

Kahlúa is a Mexican brand of coffee liqueur that was originally produced by Pedro Domecq, an influential Spanish producer of sherry and brandy. In 1994, Pedro Domecq merged with Allied Lyons to form Allied Domecq that in turn was acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2005. Pernod Ricard is a French company that owns multiple alcohol brands, including Absolut, Ballantine’s, Becherovka, Beefeater Gin, Chivas Regal, Dubonnet, Jameson, Havana Club, and Martell.

Kahlúa was created in 1936 in Veracruz, Mexico. It was first imported to the United States in 1940, but the liqueur didn’t become truly popular north of the Mexican border until the 1950s. The person credited with popularizing Kahlúa in the US is Jules Berman, a real estate developer, collector of Pre-Columbian art and liquor importer from California. Berman’s contribution to making Kahlúa one of the world’s top-selling liqueurs earned him the nickname “Mr. Kahlúa”.

Kahlúa is made with 100% arabica coffee beans grown in Mexico, rum, sugar, and vanilla. The alcohol content of Kahlúa is 16%, although it used to be stronger (26.5% until 2004 and 20% between 2004 and 2021). Kahlúa Especial, a stronger and bolder version of the liqueur, has 35% ABV. It is has an espresso-style flavor and is less sweet than the regular version of Kahlúa. Originally sold exclusively in duty-free markets, Kahlúa Especial is now available in several countries.

As we’ve already mentioned above, Kahlúa can be consumed neat or on the rocks (with ice), as well as used as an ingredient in various mixed drinks. Popular cocktails with Kahlúa include the espresso martini (espresso, Kahlúa and vodka), White Russian (vodka, Kahlúa and cream), Black Russian (vodka and Kahlúa), Mudslide (Kahlúa, vodka and Irish cream liqueur), B-52 (layers of Kahlúa, Irish cream liqueur and orange-flavored liqueur), Baby Guinness (a portion of Kahlúa in a shot glass topped by a layer of Irish cream liqueur to resemble a tiny glass of Guinness), and moose milk (a traditional Canadian cocktail consisting of a spirit, Kahlúa, milk or cream, sugar or maple syrup, and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon).

The origins of National Kahlúa Day are unclear, but it is acknowledged on Kahlúa’s official website, so the holiday is definitely legit. The manufacturer recommends that you celebrate National Kahlúa Day by getting together with your friends, making various Kahlúa-based cocktails, and sharing your creations on social media with the hashtag #NationalKahlúaDay.

Other ways to celebrate include drinking Kahlúa straight or on the rocks, adding it to coffee, hot chocolate or even milkshake, going out to your favorite bar and having a couple of cocktails there, making a Kahlúa-flavored dessert (for example, cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate cake, fudge, brownies, pie, or chocolate chip cookies), or gifting someone a bottle of Kahlúa to introduce them to this amazing liqueur.