Coffee Cocktail Recipe
A 19th-century flip of cognac, port and a whole egg — rich, velvety and winey, and it contains no coffee at all.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Coupe glass
- ABV: 20%
- Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
- Cognac30 ml (1 oz)
- Port wine45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Simple syrup7.5 ml (0.3 oz)
- Whole egg1 piece
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a shaker without ice and shake hard to emulsify the egg.
- Add ice and shake again until well chilled.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
- Grate a little nutmeg over the top.
Garnish
Freshly grated nutmeg
What it tastes like
The texture is creamy and it wears a foam cap.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A stemmed, shallow coupe. The stem keeps your hand's warmth away from the drink, and the wide bowl carries the aroma to your nose. Served without ice.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Cognac
- Brandy distilled from grapes in the Cognac region of France. VS is young and lively, VSOP rounder; in a cocktail VS is plenty, since VSOP's finesse disappears in the mix.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
The Story
Printed in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's bartender's guide, which itself admits the name is a misnomer: the drink only looks like coffee.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Coffee Cocktail mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a coupe.
- How strong is a Coffee Cocktail?
- Roughly 20% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Coffee Cocktail be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Coffee Cocktail hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Wine in a dream
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.