# Make this Stunning Coffee Liqueur for the Holidays

## Share Cordial 44 with guests or gift a bottle to a friend

### Coffee-Infused Decadence

Golden-hued and decadent, the rum-based Cordial 44 might be the most beautiful coffee-infused liqueur we’ve seen. With citrus season upon us and a little more than fifty days until guests arrive at your door, we wanted to share this old-fashioned recipe that combines rum, orange, [coffee](/content/store/coffee/index.html), and sugar, and comes to us by way of France.

The cordial’s name, “44,” is a clever mnemonic: It takes forty-four days to make and uses forty-four coffee beans and forty-four teaspoons of sugar, in addition to one liter of rum and one orange.

Simply make shallow slits in a whole orange and fill each incision with a coffee bean.

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> “The cordial’s name, “44,” is a clever mnemonic: It takes forty-four days to make and uses forty-four coffee beans and forty-four teaspoons of sugar, in addition to one liter of rum and one orange.”

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Combine the orange, sugar, and rum, and then watch and wait.

In a matter of weeks, the rum goes from clear to tawny, and the flavors commingle to make a complexly spiced concoction in the vein of [Carpano Antica](https://www.thekitchn.com/vermouth-to-sip-alone-carpano-140596), a beguiling sweet vermouth—except, of course, that 44 is homemade, higher-proof, and perfumed with [your favorite coffee](/content/store/coffee/index.html).

[Hayes Valley](/content/store/hayes-valley-espresso/index.html), our classic [espresso](/content/frequency/blue-bottle-explains-espresso/index.html) blend, is intensely chocolatey and flecked with brown sugar and orange zest—we think it's a natural choice to use with rum and orange.

There's no right coffee, though, so experiment with your favorite [blend](/content/frequency/coffee-blends/index.html) or [single origin](/content/frequency/why-single-origin-coffee/index.html), or opt for the caffeine-free [Night Light](/content/store/night-light-decaf?product_type=perfectly_ground/index.html), which would make a splash of 44 a fitting nightcap after a holiday meal.

## Cordial 44 Recipe

_Adapted from_ [_Saveur_](https://www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/Orange-and-Coffee-Flavored-Rum-Liqueur)

### Ingredients

- 1 large orange  
- 44 [Hayes Valley Espresso](/content/store/hayes-valley-espresso/index.html) coffee beans (or your preferred single origin or blend)  
- ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons sugar  
- 1 liter white rum

Using a paring knife, poke forty-four slits into the orange. Push a coffee bean into every opening. Place the orange into a wide-mouthed vessel (don't worry if the orange gets bruised), and add the sugar and rum. Seal tightly with a lid and swirl the mixture initially to help the rum make contact with the sugar.

Store in a cool, dark place. Every couple of days, gently swirl the jar to help the sugar dissolve completely.

After forty-four days, pour the liqueur through a fine-mesh strainer, or a strainer lined with cheese cloth, into clean bottles. Serve neat or on the rocks. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.