Almost everyone drinks coffee and liqueurs every day. Mix the two, and you get coffee liqueur. You can find a variety of coffee liqueurs in the market.
Here, I’ll give you a brief overview of two famous coffee liqueurs and their differences.
There’s a big difference between Baileys and Kahlua: the former is a coffee cream liqueur flavored with coffee and chocolate, while the latter is a pure coffee liqueur with a pretty intense coffee taste.
If you want to know more about both, read on.
Everything You Need To Know About Baileys
Baileys Original Irish Cream, first manufactured in Ireland in 1973, is a mixture of cream and Irish whiskey and cocoa extract, herbs, and sugar.
The alcohol volume in Baileys is 17%. If you like creamy alcoholic beverages, Baileys is an ideal drink. It has a pronounced taste of chocolate milk that’s mildly alcoholic with hints of sweetness and vanilla, and its texture is pretty thick and creamy.
You can drink it on the rocks or mixed with other beverages and cocktails. It’s totally up to you to try it with different drinks and make a cocktail. Apart from drinks, Baileys can also add flavor to your desserts.
Baileys is available in ten different product ranges based on different flavors, namely Baileys Original Irish Cream, Baileys Chocolat Luxe, Baileys Almande, Baileys Salted Caramel, Baileys Espresso Crème, Bailey’s Strawberries & Cream, Bailey Red Velvet Cupcake, Baileys Pumpkin Spice, Baileys Iced Coffee Latte and Baileys Minis.
Everything You Need To Know About Kahlua
Kahlua, introduced first time in 1948 in Brussels, is a pretty intense coffee liqueur containing Arabica coffee beans and rum extracted from sugarcane and sugar, grain spirit, coffee extract, water, and wine.
The taste of Kahlua is tilted more towards coffee with a slight alcoholic taste with light clear rum and chestnut, caramel, and vanilla undertones. It also has a thick syrupy consistency with a dark brown color like coffee.
Moreover, its alcohol concentration is only 16%. It’s your choice to drink it either on the rocks or in the form of a Black Russian Cocktail. Besides these, you can also try it in different cocktails like White Russian or Espresso Martini to test your taste buds.
You can find seven products in the Kahlua liqueur range: Mint Mocha, Coffee Liqueur, Blonde Roast Style, Vanilla Coffee Liqueur, Chili Chocolate, Salted Caramel, and Kahlúa Especial.
What Are The Differences Between Baileys And Kahlua?
Baileys and Kahlua are coffee liqueurs; one is cream, cocoa, and whiskey, and the other is coffee, rum, and wine. Also, Kahlua has a more dominant coffee flavor, whereas Baileys has both coffee and hints of chocolate. Both of them have almost the same volume of alcohol.
I’ve put together a table for you to see the differences between the two liqueurs.
| Baileys | Kahlua | |
| Origin | Manufactured in London, 1973 | Manufactured in Brussels, 1948 |
| Ingredients | contains Irish Whisky, Glanbia Cream, Cocoa, Sugar, Herbs, Spices | contains Arabica Coffee Beans, Roasted Chestnut, Corn Syrup/Sugar, Grain Spirit, Coffee Extract, Neutral Grain Spirit, Water, Wine |
| Color | Pale yellow, almost creamy | Deep dark brown color just like caramel |
| Flavor | A creamy, strong coffee with a hint of vanilla and a bit of alcohol | A bold coffee flavored with rum notes, chestnut, caramel & vanilla |
| Volume Of Alcohol | 17% | 16% |
| Texture | Creamy and thick | Syrupy and thick but pourable |
| Product Range Available | Baileys Original Irish Cream, Baileys Almande, Bailey Red Velvet Cupcake, Baileys Pumpkin Spice, Baileys Chocolat Luxe, Baileys Salted Caramel, Bailey’s Strawberries & Cream, Baileys Espresso Crème, Baileys Minis, and Baileys Iced Coffee Latte | Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur, Kahlúa Mint Mocha, Kahlúa Chili Chocolate, Kahlúa Salted Caramel, Kahlúa Especial, Kahlúa Vanilla Coffee Liqueur, Kahlúa Blonde Roast Style |
I hope this table will clear all your confusion regarding both beverages.
Which One Has More Sugar? Baileys or Kahlua?
Kahlua has higher sugar content as compared to the Baileys.
Baileys has 6 grams of sugar per ounce, so it’s classified as a low-sugar liqueur. Meanwhile, Kahlua has 11 grams of sugar per ounce, which is a lot.
Even though sugar gives you instant energy, too much sugar is bad. It can lead to all sorts of health problems. So if you’re drinking any liqueurs, make sure you keep an eye on how much sugar and carbs they have.
Is Baileys Better Than Kahlua In Coffee?
It depends on how you like your coffee; Kahlua is alcoholic coffee syrup, while Baileys is alcoholic sweet cream. I prefer a creamy flavor in my coffee, so Baileys is my personal favorite.
Both Baileys and Kahlua are best in their version and each of them gives you a different experience. If you want a strong version of alcoholic coffee, you can go with Kahlua, and if you’re in the mood for a creamy coffee, you can go for Baileys.
Here’s a short video about different ways to drink Baileys and Kahlua.
Can You Substitute Baileys For Kahlua?
Kahlua and Baileys have distinct tastes, so you can’t swap them.
You know that Baley has a distinct creamy taste while Kahlua has a strong taste of coffee.
If you’re fond of both these tastes, you can use one to substitute the other. However, if you like your coffee strong, Baileys is not a suitable replacement for Kahlua.
Is Baileys Or Kahlua Better For Espresso Martini?
Whether you like your espresso martini creamy or strong, your choice between Baileys and Kahlua depends.
If you want your Espresso Martini to have a strong coffee-like taste, you should use Kahlua in it. The majority of people prefer Kahlua in their drinks anyway. However, it’ll make your drink a lot sweeter.
If you’re not fond of sweet Espresso Martini, you should go for less sweet like Tia Maria.
However, if you like the extra creamy taste of your Espresso Martini, you can add Baileys to give an extra sweet flavor to your cocktail.
Clearly, it all depends on your taste buds, but most chefs prefer Kahlua over Baileys for this cocktail.
Does Baileys Need To Be Refrigerated?
Baileys needs to be refrigerated once you have opened the container due to its creamy contents.
You know that dairy products can go bad if you don’t keep them in a suitable environment – the same is the case with Baileys.
Baileys contains cream along with alcohol. To keep its fresh creamy taste, you’ve to store it in the refrigerator. Moreover, storing it at low temperatures also enhances its flavor.
However, if you haven’t opened it yet, you can keep it in store for almost two years. If it’s not opened, it’ll not lose its taste or texture in storage. The best temperature to store Baileys is below 25 C.
Does Kahlua Need To Be Refrigerated?
Kahlua doesn’t need to be refrigerated. You can store it at room temperature.
Kahlua doesn’t need refrigeration even after opening the bottle. It doesn’t go rancid. It’s probably best to keep it in the fridge if you often use it as a drink every weekend.
If you do it this way, you don’t have to remember to chill it every time.
However, you should store the unopened bottle of Kahlua in a dark and cool place, just like a cellar or pantry. You can move it to the refrigerator before serving as its tastes better when chilled.
Final Takeaway
Baileys and Kahlua are both pretty famous coffee liqueurs. Bailey is a cream-based liqueur, while Kahlua is a strong coffee liqueur without any cream.
The primary difference between both liqueurs is that of ingredients.
The base ingredients for Baileys are cream, Irish whiskey, and cocoa. On the other hand, Kahlua has Arabica coffee beans, rum, coffee extract, and wine as its base.
You can tell by tasting both that Baileys has a creamy, strong coffee flavor with a hint of vanilla and alcohol. Meanwhile, Kahlua has a bold coffee flavor with rum notes, chestnut, caramel & vanilla.
Despite these differences, both liqueurs are pretty outstanding and appealing to lovers of coffee liqueurs. Both appeal uniquely to people with a different palette.
That’s it. I hope this article helped you decide between Baileys and Kahlua. Nevertheless, you should probably try both as they’re equally good, in my opinion!
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