Kahlúa Now and Then

My mom's winning ad sketches for Kahlúa campaign back in 1979. Way to go, Mom! Makes me thank our lucky stars for design software today.

Don’t adjust your dials, cocktailians. The old Kahlúa ad you have just stumbled upon is surprisingly not a feature on A Dash of Bitters , it’s still me here at Cocktail Culture.

Back in “nineteen-seventy-mumble-mumble…” (well, that’s how she says it!) my mother was an aspiring graphic design student at Syracuse University. Kahlúa approached her class with an opportunity to make some sketches for an ad campaign. Her sketches were selected and she was generously paid the sum of $300. Oh, how the times – and, drinks! – have changed. There is so much more variety for the original coffee rum today than just a White Russian, Black Russian, or Kahlúa Coffee. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

Here are two more drinks that were submitted during a Kahlúa-sponsored Thursday Drink Night in the Mixoloseum and were up for consideration to be featured at the Kahlúa Coffee Bar at Tales of the Cocktail.

Dolemit, By Gabriel Szaszko
4 oz whole milk
1 ½ oz brandy
1 oz Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
½ oz Trader Tiki’s Vanilla Syrup

Look at all that attention to detail!

½ oz Benedictine
2 dashes mole bitters

Shake/strain into a pint glass half-filled with ice. Top with grated nutmeg and 3 cardamom speared on a cocktail pin.

Breakfast Bracer Flip, By Paul Clarke
1 ½ oz Maker’s Mark
1 oz Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur
1 whole egg

Shake with ice, strain, and garnish with a grated coffee bean.

My next blog post will highlight the cocktail to be featured at the Kahlúa Coffee Bar during Tales of the Cocktail.  Keep the drum roll humming (just like your Vuvuzelas) for just a tad bit longer. I promise this drink is nothing like Mommy Dearest’s sketches (sorry Mom!)