No one knows for sure the true origin of Kahlua, the largest-selling imported liqueur in America, but we do have a few clues. The oldest proof of Kahluas date of origin is a bottle found by Maidstone Co., a former distributor of the liqueur. The bottle came from Mexico, where the drink is now made, and is dated 1937. The word Kahlua was discovered to have ties to ancient Arabic languages, and the old label, which bears a similarity to the current label, shows a turbaned man smoking a pipe beneath a Moorish archway. The only obvious change in the current label is that the man has become a sombrero-wearing Mexican napping beneath the same Moorish archway.

In 1959 Jules Berman discovered Kahlua in Mexico and started importing it to the United States. In 1991 Kahlua had annual worldwide sales of more than 2 1/2 million cases, or the equivalent of 750 million drinks a year.

You will need an empty 750-ml. liquor bottle with a top for storing the liqueur.