The age of alchemy is upon us. Scientists have figured out a way to turn used coffee grounds into drinkable alcohol. In the journal , the team of Spanish and Portugese researchers described how they created the spirit from spent ground coffee. The liquid isn’t as tasty as some coffee liqueurs, but the scientists describe the beverage as being pleasant with the taste and smell of coffee.
The team started with dried coffee grounds, mixed the material in water at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, separated the liquid, and added sugar before finally mixing in the yeast. The researchers let the drink ferment and concentrated the sample to raise its alcohol content.
While the drink contains up to 40 percent ethanol, it doesn’t carry much of a punch—most of the caffeine is filtered out during the process.