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Coffee Cocktail

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (34)
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
2 fl oz Cockburn's Tawny Eyes Port
1 fl oz Cognac (brandy)
1/2 fl oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water) 65.0°Brix
1 fresh Egg (white & yolk)

How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Wine glass

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a WINE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of grated nutmeg.

Method

  1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain back into shaker.
  2. DRY SHAKE (without ice).
  3. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Dust with freshly grated nutmeg.

Health & Nutrition

Alcohol content:

We don't have enough information to calculate the alc./vol., but based on known ingredients, this recipe contains at least:

  • 18.5 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

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History

Adapted from a recipe in the posthumously published 1887 Jerry Thomas' Bar-tenders Guide (Jerry "The Professor" Thomas died 15th December 1885).

Coffee Cocktail.
(Use a large bar-glass.)
Take 1 tea-spoonful powdered white sugar.
1 fresh egg.
1 large wine-glass of port wine.
1 pony of brandy.
2 or 3 lumps of ice.
Break the egg into the glass, put the sugar, and lastly the port wine, brandy and ice.
Shake up very thoroughly and strain into a medium bar goblet. Grate a little nutmeg on top before serving.
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 connected, and hence probably its name.

Jerry Thomas' Bar-tenders Guide, 1887

Review

As the 1887 edition of the Professor's book says, "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."

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Comments & Discussion

james I
I didn't want to open a new bottle of port before leaving for vacation so substituted byrrh that I was trying to finish up. It was good but more subdued than the original.
score: 1
Chris Dimal
I got the colour which @Gregory Moreton obtained. But Jerry Thomas says that it should look like coffee if made correctly. But I don't think I did it incorrectly. Hmm. Tasted decent, if a bit fruitier than I would expect. I did use a French Grape Brandy, not a Cognac.
score: 1
Gregory Moreton
Excelent drink. I followed the recipie with the addition of 2 drops of saline and the resulting cocktail is delicious.. The colour is not as per the picture the port giving a loveley purple tinge to it. subline none the less
score: 2
Don Durgle
Excellent, with enough complexity to balance the significant sweetness. I used a dry shake -> shake with ice, which produced good results.
score: 1
Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member
Agreed. Benefits from a dry shake. I've amended the above accordingly. Many thanks for bringing to my attention.
score: 1