Have you ever thought about making your own liqueur? I hadn't either until one of my friends started talking about how a person in her office loves to give out homemade liqueurs. From here, we discussed how we could have our own Christmas party with these homemade liqueurs. Like a cookie exchange party, but instead everyone brings liqueur instead of cookies and the recipe for everyone to try. As I started thinking about what I wanted to make, I considered all of the flavors that I love. It was so hard to pick just one to try for this batch, but, ultimately, I decided to go with a Mayan Chocolate Irish Cream. I thought this would be the perfect way to mix up my holiday hot chocolates. Follow along to see how you can make this your very own.

MAYAN CHOCOLATE IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of Whiskey 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk 2 tablespoons of Melting Chocolate 4 tablespoons of Cold Coffee 1 cup of Heavy Cream 2 tablespoons of Vanilla 1 tablespoon of Cinnamon 2 tablespoons Cayenne 1 teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes

DIRECTIONS

First, make sure you have an air-tight container in which to store your liqueur.  If stored in the proper container, this will keep for about two months in your fridge. Spend a bit now, and reap the rewards for months to come! For my container, I removed the label off of a liquor bottle I had on my bar. This process was pretty easy, and it's recycling! Just soak the bottle in hot water and dish soap for 30 minutes and then use a spoon to help scrape it off. Now that you have the container, it's time to make your Mayan Irish Cream. In a large bowl, melt your chocolate. Then, put the rest of the ingredients in the bowl except the red pepper flakes. Next, mix. After everything is thoroughly combined, place in the container. Then top in with an additional tsp of cayenne and the red pepper flakes. When you put this in your container,  try to have a funnel available. I couldn't find one, so I made one out of a hollowed K-cup, no lie, it worked perfectly. Give it a day or two of sitting to really let the flavors soak up. Then you can use it in a variety of ways. Aperitif? Hot coco? Coffee? Your own special White Russian? You could even gift this as a gift to friends and family members. Once you see how easy it is to make and how delicious it is to drink, I bet you'll be inspired to create your own take on this flavor.

Happy Eats My Sweets,