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I'm a big fan of white russians. Current recipe is 2 large shots of heavy cream, 1 shot of vodka and 1/2 shot of Kahlua. I sometimes replace the heavy cream with coconut milk. Good vodka made from Potatoes (I think). Anyways, what can I use to replace Kahlua to make this closer to a Paleo(ish) drink?

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+1 for white russians – Tom Feb 4 2011 at 21:05
3 
 THE DUDE APPROVES! – ricechek Feb 4 2011 at 23:25
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 THE DUDE ABIDES....funniest movie EVER! – Mark Feb 5 2011 at 0:05
even the Nihilists would approve :) – texasleah Feb 5 2011 at 3:59

9 Answers

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I soak espresso grinds in potato vodka for a while and then filter using coffee filters. White Russians using coconut cream and potato vodka. Score.

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hmm, nice. Thanks for the idea – Mr. T Feb 4 2011 at 20:41
yep, this answer is my vote! – texasleah Feb 4 2011 at 22:59
Tried this a couple times now. I would also add a splash of vanilla. – Mr. T Feb 14 2011 at 18:43
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I dunno how many of these you drink in a sitting but I have a hard time believing that 1/2 shot of Kahlua is going to be a big deal...

I mean if you're that worried about it maybe you shouldn't be drinking the alcohol at all!

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 I'm not worried about the alcohol. Kahlua is full of sugar. – Mr. T Feb 4 2011 at 20:39
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 1/2 shot has 5.6g sugar. I don't call that a lot. (source: drinksmixer.com/desc292.html) Half of the sugar would be fructose, which is the evil component. Fructose is handled in the liver, just like... alcohol. There's probably about 9g alcohol in your drink vs. 3g fructose. If you're drinking enough of these for the fructose to be a problem then you'll have other, bigger problems. – Daniel Smith Feb 4 2011 at 21:02
I'm pretty much agreed, the figure I saw was up to 24g/jigger, which isn't much in the scheme of things. I also suspect though that espresso and a lesser amount of sugar would probably be pretty comparable. – David Moss Feb 4 2011 at 22:01
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 Good points from the commenters, but I think Mr. T still has a point in that he might want to avoid the sickeningly sweet taste of the kahlua. Even if there's more alcohol than sugar in his drink, an alcoholic drink need not be sugary. To me it makes a real difference, at least psychologically. Which is more than nothing. – Paul Feb 5 2011 at 1:17
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I would make my own kaluha following any recipe but leave out the sugar. Then when it was time to mix the drink I might use a vanilla vodka. Yes, we all know that alcohol isn't good for you, but I personally think a drink every once in a while is a pleasure that outweighs the detriment.

This talks about carbs and alcohol. http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html

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Where do you find a kaluha recipe? – Michael Feb 4 2011 at 20:01
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 Google "home made kaluha" and you'll get a bunch of recipes. It's basically coffee, vanilla, sugar and some form of alcohol. I've used vodka but I've heard of others using brandy or even tequila. – KT Feb 4 2011 at 20:52
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Maybe you could mix instant decaf granules with the vodka?

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On that note, this is a fine stand-in for brewed coffee (the 5-star rated Mount Hagen Organic Freeze Dried Decaffeinated Coffee): amazon.com/… I have bought the 6-ct. on Subscribe and Save a couple of times at least to use as my morning coffee. Love it! – familygrokumentarian Feb 4 2011 at 21:25
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If all you are really going to use the faux Kahlua for is White Russians, I would skip the whole idea of a Kahlua component altogether. Since all Kahlua really is is vodka, coffee, and sugar, and youre already adding vodka to the drink, add a touch more vodka and a shot or two of espresso, some cream and viola!

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Something similar I drink: Cuban Coffee!

Big mug full of 2 parts awesome dark roast coffee, 1 part heavy cream, then add a shot of Bacardi rum. Ice it if you want to get technical about it, but I dig it hot.

Tastes nearly identical to a White Russian to me! =)

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Coffee, straight up?

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Maybe espresso would work better than coffee.

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what's the difference? – Wozza May 28 2011 at 2:06
It's a stronger beverage, whereas coffee's more watery. I'd think it would impart more coffee flavor per ounce, thus a more effective replacement for Kahlua. – Casey May 28 2011 at 2:56
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There is no alcohol that is paleo-ish. Alcohol is a carbohydrate and converts directly to some forms of sugar, goes into the bloodsteam and spikes sugar. Then the pancreas secretes insulin to control the blood sugar. Do that over years and years...not just with alcohol but other carb products like wheat products, corn products, products with sugar in them...and you are looking at the pancreas pooping out on its ability to secrete the insulin. That's what is called diabetes...which can lead directly to a coronary heart event later in life. Alcohol as well as carbs are just a slow killer. Enjoy your black russians. You may not later.

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 I didn't downvote you, but I think life without a little alcohol every once in a while might fall into the "fail-eo" category. An otherwise "healthy" low carb diet with the inclusion of a shot of vodka or two shouldn't lead to an imminent death. – Mr. T Feb 4 2011 at 20:43
Yea but liquor that is 100% distilled shouldn't contain any carbs. 100% potato vodka is just pure alcohol, so is 100% tequila. If you ask me it's more dangerous to eat dairy in the form of butter everyday than it is to have an alcoholic drink on occasion at a party. – justanotherhunt Feb 4 2011 at 20:58
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 This is kinda carb fear-mongering. Paleo does not equal absolutely-no-carbs-ever-or-else-you-die. – Phoenix Feb 4 2011 at 21:31
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 @joe a good point about purity, but even if you're eating a stick of butter per day, you'll be getting less than a gram of dairy protein and lactose, whereas even drinking occasionally, you'll be consuming a greater quantity of alcohol/sugar (and tbh I suspect that alcohol is a lot more harmful per gram than lactose). – David Moss Feb 4 2011 at 21:56
Alcohol IS NOT a carbohydrate. Alcohol is an alcohol. Nor does it get converted into a sugar. The metabolic pathway for ethanol(the alcohol found in drinks) is: C2H6O(Ethanol) -> C2H4O(Acetaldehyde) -> C2H4O2(acetic Acid) -> Acetyl-CoA -> 3H2O+2CO2 At no step is there a sugar molecule (6 carbon atoms). Unless you have evidence that any of the molecules in the above path trigger rises in insulin, your claims are completely false and misleading. Alcohol's only function in the body is to be burnt up for energy. – gorechewer Feb 17 2012 at 0:22

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