COFFEE COCKTAIL

Coffee Cocktail: Jerry Thomas's 1887 Drink with No Coffee

The Coffee Cocktail first appeared in Jerry Thomas's 1887 Bar-Tender's Guide, with Thomas noting "The name of this drink is a misnomer, as coffee and bitters are not to be found among its ingredients, but it looks like coffee when it has been properly concocted, and hence probably its name" Tasting HistoryDifford's Guide.

The original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon powdered white sugar, 1 fresh egg, 1 large wine-glass of port wine, 1 pony of brandy, and 2 or 3 lumps of ice, shaken thoroughly and strained into a medium bar goblet with grated nutmeg on top Difford's Guide. Essentially a flip, all the ingredients are shaken together in a cocktail shaker over ice and served in a small wine glass Cocktails & Bars.

David Wondrich, an authority on cocktails history, stated if tawny port is used the drink actually resembles coffee or café au lait Beer Et Seq. The drink belongs to the flip family of cocktails, which combine spirits with whole eggs for a rich, creamy texture. Despite the misleading name, the Coffee Cocktail became a popular after-dinner drink in the late nineteenth century.

RECIPE:

1 oz brandy or cognac

2 oz port wine (preferably tawny)

1 whole egg

1 tsp powdered sugar

Freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

1. Add brandy, port, egg, and sugar to shaker

2. Dry shake (without ice) vigorously for 15 seconds

3. Add ice and shake again until well chilled

4. Strain into chilled cocktail glass

5. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg