Revolver
Revolver cocktail garnished with an orange peel.
The Revolver: Coffee Meets Bourbon in the Best Way
The Revolver came out of San Francisco in 2004 when bartender Jon Santer was managing the bar at Bruno's, a jazz club in the Mission District. His boss handled all the liquor orders, and one week Santer found himself with a case of Bulleit bourbon that nobody was asking for since the brand was still relatively unknown.
Santer had been experimenting with Manhattan variations and decided to swap out sweet vermouth for coffee liqueur. He used Tia Maria, added a couple dashes of orange bitters, and topped it with a flamed orange peel - a technique he borrowed from Dale DeGroff. The name came from the Bulleit bourbon he was using, which fit perfectly with the gun-themed brand.
The drink debuted at Bruno's but didn't catch on there since most customers ordered beer or whiskey and Coke. It wasn't until Santer joined the opening staff at Bourbon & Branch in 2006 that the Revolver found its audience. The drink was the only original cocktail on the opening menu not created by bar director Todd Smith, and it took off when Bourbon & Branch opened The Library, a standing-room-only space where the Revolver was featured prominently.
The recipe is simple: two ounces bourbon, half an ounce coffee liqueur, and two dashes orange bitters. Stir with ice until cold, strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed orange peel.
Any bourbon works here - Bulleit is traditional given the origin story, but Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, or whatever you have on hand will be fine. The drink is surprisingly forgiving. For coffee liqueur, Kahlua is the most common, though Tia Maria was Santer's original choice. The coffee flavor shouldn't be overwhelming - it's more of a warm backdrop to the bourbon.
Orange bitters tie everything together, adding brightness that keeps the drink from being too heavy. The flamed orange peel isn't just for show - heating the oils and expressing them over the drink adds aroma and a subtle citrus note that complements both the coffee and bourbon.
What makes the Revolver special is how balanced it is despite sounding like it shouldn't work. Coffee and bourbon together could easily be too much, but the orange bitters and the technique keep everything in check. It's spirit-forward without being harsh, has depth without being overly complex.
The drink spread quickly from San Francisco to New York and eventually worldwide. By the time bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler included it in his 2014 book "The Bar Book," the Revolver had already earned modern classic status.
The Revolver proves that sometimes the best innovations come from practical problems - in this case, a bartender trying to use up bourbon nobody was ordering. One smart ingredient swap created something bartenders are still making twenty years later.
RECIPE:
2 oz bourbon
½ oz coffee liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel (garnish)
Method:
Stir all ingredients with ice.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Express and discard orange peel or rest it on the rim.